Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Unown
by Mr. Chaos
Summary: Book 2 of the Harry Potter: Pokemon Master series. Life has taken a definite upturn for Harry. He now has a wonderful home, great friends, and is building a strong Pokemon team. But when he received word of a hidden danger, Harry will be forced to dig into the past and discover the buried truth about the Founders... and his family. If he doesn't, Hogwarts will be closed forever.
1. The Best Birthday

Author's Note: I do not own Harry Potter or Pokemon. Well... I do own some Pokemon... I have a nice Donphan and a Tyranitar and a Aggron... nevermind.

* * *

Had you asked young Harry Potter before this day what a birthday was, you would have gotten a complex answer; you would have also gotten an answer that you didn't expect.

First and foremost, it depended on whose birthday it actually was. Were it was someone like his cousin Dudley's birthday, then Harry would have launched into great detail about the giant cakes and table groaning with presents. He would have described how as the birthday boy grew older the number of guests at these parties dwindled; it seemed that the school children in Little Surrey learned that Dudley's birthday was a day when the large boy felt he was king of the world and was allowed to do anything he wanted, without repercussion (not that he didn't already feel this way, it just got worse). Stealing others' possessions, striking little girls, threatening boys... Dudley was given carte blanche to do as he pleased on his birthday. To try and call him out on it was to end up with the heavy-set boy sobbing fake tears like a Bonsley until Aunt Petunia ran over, fretting that the mean children were picking on her poor, misunderstood Dudikins.

Harry, meanwhile, would spend those days alternating between acting as a servant to his adopted family or curled in a corner, trying to shield his vital organs as Dudley used him as a piñata.

On Harry's birthday things became radically different. There weren't cheerful calls for him to get up or great events to look forward to. It was, for the most part, just another day, save for a change in the vocal abuse he suffered. His Aunt and Uncle would go into great detail about all the things he COULD have gotten if he behaved himself and acted like a normal child. It didn't matter that all the things they listed were merely rehashes of Dudley's list... his guardians were convinced that these were the things Harry must want because Dudley wanted them and Dudley was the perfect child. If Harry didn't want them that was merely a sign of his freakish ways.

It also didn't matter that Harry never did anything wrong. Until he'd gone to Hogwarts he'd thought there must be some secret act he was performing that resulted in his aunt and uncle attacking him. It was only with time, and being around people from Avalon, that made it clear that it wasn't his fault that his aunt and uncle abused him. He didn't quite know why they felt the need to attack him... perhaps it was because he was a reminder of Lily, the one who escaped Little Surrey. Maybe it was that he shared many physical traits with his father, a man that he'd come to learn epitomized everything Uncle Vernon hated.

Until this day, Harry would have been unable to express what a birthday was suppose to be like... or, at the very least, what normal people viewed birthdays as.

"Harry, come on!"

Of course, there was really nothing 'normal' about Harry Potter or his life. He had been born during a time of war, when the forces Team Nocturne tried to take control of the region of Avalon. They believed that only those of 'pure' families should be allowed to use Pokémon. Their reasoning was a mixed bag: some were extremists that saw the suffering some Pokémon went through and joined with Nocturne out of the belief that it was misinformed and unprepared trainers who resulted in so many Pokémon being hurt. Others were from old families who believed that it was their given right to use Pokémon and the 'common folk' should never be allowed near them. Some were just sadistic nuts that liked to hurt and steal and kill.

His parents had been heroes during the war, serving as shining beacons of hope to the good people of Avalon. It was for this reason that the leader of Team Nocturne, Lord Voldemort, had sought them out and, in the end, killed them. Voldemort had struck Harry's father James down before confronting Lily Potter who, with Harry's crib to her back, engaged in a Pokémon Battle with the Head of Team Nocturne that saw both of them die.

Harry was passed to his aunt and uncle, who got it in their heads that the best way to mold him into the 'perfect Surrey boy' was the abuse him and deprive him.

It wasn't until Hagrid, the gatekeeper of Hogwarts, Avalon's elite trainer academy, had come to retrieve Harry that the boy had learned just how not 'normal' his upbringing was. Now, free from Little Surrey and the Dursleys, Harry was learning what life with a person who actually cared for him was like.

"Come on, Harry," Remus said, nudging the boy. "Don't make me sick Zorua on you."

Harry rolled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Remus Lupin was standing at the edge of his bed, a smirk on his face as he watched the now 12 year old run a hand along his face, trying to clear the crusty eye goop from his lashes. His hair, as hard as it was to believe, was an even more riotous bunch of stuck up tufts than it normally was. He groped blindly for his glasses, slipping them on and blinking his eyes like a Hoothoot.

'That's a good lad," Remus said, patting him on the back, trying hard not to get choked up; it was easy to look at Harry and see James sitting there. He could still see the boy's father waking up each day in the Gryffindor common room, his hair a mess and a teasing smile on his lips. "Come on, get yourself a quick shower then meet me downstairs for breakfast."

Harry nodded, pulling off his pajama top as he contemplated his life. Things had gone on a complete upswing the moment he had met Remus Lupin. At the Hogwarts Express Platform he had felt an instant connection with the man; he'd later learned that Remus had been the 4th person to hold him after he was born and that his father had been utterly frustrated when Remus' nickname, Mooney, had been baby Harry's first word.

Despite the connection Harry felt for him, the boy had been fearful as they made their way into Le Fay's Landing. He'd wondered if it was merely a passing thing; a reaction caused by his desires to have someone that cared for him and wanted him. What if it was merely him reaching out to someone, anyone, in a vain attempt to find a home?

Those doubts had been put to rest within the first week. Remus had been everything he could have wanted in a guardian and more. He had the right blend of stern discipline (not that Harry ever toed the line that much to find out) and playful prankster. Remus seemed to instantly know when Harry needed him nearby and when the boy needed his space. Other adults would have smothered him or given him too much space and made him feel unwanted; Remus was there at the right moments and trusted Harry enough to let him be when the boy needed a taste of freedom.

More than that, Remus did not try to force himself into one particular role. Other men might have instantly jumped in and tried to take on the role of Harry's father, or perhaps just assumed because he'd known Harry as a baby that gave him the right to act like a stern uncle. Remus did none of these things; he did not compete with James' 'ghost'. He was happy just to be Remus and Harry found that is all he needed.

Harry stepped into the shower, the hot water rolling down his neck and over his shoulders. It was such a wonderful feeling; Dudley always got to take showers first and Harry was usually left with only cold water and time limit. He wasn't one to waste the day away under the shower head, of course, but turning on the water till it was so hot it made his back beet red as pure bliss.

As he stood under the beating water he thought back to those early days with Remus. They'd spent that first night learning about each other, swapping stories and tidbits. Harry told him all about running the Gauntlet and fighting the Golurk and sneaking around the halls with Ludwig. Remus had pouted, claiming it took all the sport out of it when one was invisible.

Remus, as the man himself had explained, made his living as a Gym Tester. He told Harry about how running a Gym was difficult work, especially since they had to follow so many regulations.

_"First off, they run into the issue that their Pokémon continue to gain experience when they battle each and every trainer they face."_

_"Well... yeah," Harry had said dumbly. That was a fundamental piece of training: Pokémon gained experience and knowledge that let them pull off better attacks and have greater stamina and health. "So?"_

_"So, think of it like this: your friend Ron, his dad is the Gym Leader of Tor Town, which tends to get mostly starting trainers. Their Pokémon are weak, just hatched or only a year old. It wouldn't do to have them being crushed by a mature Raticate."_

_Harry grimaced. "Yeah, that wouldn't be too nice."_

_"No, it wouldn't. Tell me, did Mr. Ollivander talk about levels with you?"_

_Harry nodded. "Yeah... I really didn't get it but he said my Eevee was a level 5. No one else really talks about them though..."_

_"Most wouldn't. Levels are merely the bureaucratic way of saying how strong your Pokémon is. They were designed by a pencil pusher that was really into RPGs, if you want my opinion." Remus smirked and Harry chuckled, imagining some guy looking over his D&D sheets and using them to create Pokémon Rankings. "Part of my job is that I go and examine the Pokémon used by a Gym Leader and make sure that it is strong enough... or not too strong... to face trainers looking to earn badges. According to those bureaucrats, I am 'checking the levels of the Pokémon', which sounds like am a mechanic." Remus waved his hand dismissively. "Between you and me, the only people that care about levels are the people that create the regulations and extreme breeders like Ollivander. Me, I only use them because my boss says I have too."_

_"So I don't need to worry about them?"_

_"Only if you become a gym leader and only if you get a real snooty tester."_

_"What happens if the Gym Leader isn't using the right Pokémon?"_

_Remus shrugged. "Depends on what the issue is. If they have too weak Pokémon we give them a deadline to get their Pokémon stronger; they fail that and we assign someone to take over the Gym and run it while we review their accreditations. They might lose their license... but more likely they will just have to train really hard and receive a note in their file. _

_"If the Pokémon are too strong we first see if they have any Pokémon in the wings that can be brought up or a Junior Gym Leader that can take over. Not all that uncommon for Junior Gym Leaders to do the day to day battling, especially in gyms run by older families. The Longbottoms do that, for example."_

_"So that is what you do? Check out Pokémon and make sure they are the right fit for the gym?" Harry was intrigued; because he was going to Hogwarts he'd be able to skip the gyms if he wished and challenge the Elite Four as soon as he graduated... or enter any tournament Avalon sponsored._

_"In part," Remus said. "I also make sure they are providing adequate training for the Junior Gym Leaders, that the facilities are in good repair, and investigate any reports of bias or favoritism."_

_"What do you mean?" Harry asked in confusion._

_Remus rubbed his stubbled chin. "Ok, think of it like this... let's say a gym leader doesn't like trainers that use a certain type of Pokémon? They might purposely have those trainers fight more of the Assistant Trainers, the ones that test a trainer to ensure they are ready to face the gym leader, than they should. Or maybe they set up the puzzles in their gym to be too hard."_

_"Or they could do the opposite?" Harry asked, chewing on his bottom lip. "Purposely give a trainer an easier time because their father is friends with the gym leader?"_

_"Exactly!"_

Though Harry didn't say it, he knew Draco's father was someone that must get regular visits from Remus.

"I was beginning to worry that I'd have to drag you out of that shower," Remus said with a laugh as Harry hurried down the stairs. Harry had thrown on a red t-shirt with the Gryffindor logo emblazed upon it and a pair of blue jeans. Harry had gotten the shirt from Prof. McGonagall after the Gryffindor Gauntlet team had taken the Gauntlet Cup. His headmaster had been tickled pink that the cup would be resting in her office and had rewarded every member of the team with a t-shirt. Harry had worn it with pride, as it was the first thing he'd ever won. "Come on, I ordered some takeout from that Kalos restaurant you love so much."

The now 12 year old grinned as he hurried into the kitchen, seizing one of the Styrofoam boxes sitting on the table and digging into it. Remus' place was large but comfy; three bedrooms on the top floor, each with their own bath, while the downstairs had a living room, kitchen, dining room and study. Out back Remus had constructed a target range and mini obstacle course that Harry and Eevee were always playing on.

Remus had explained to Harry that he and his Zorua were pokemagnus and the training field out back allowed them to perfect their combined form. The young boy had been thrilled to hear that his father had the same talent... though he couldn't help but laugh when Remus told him that James Potter had bonded with a Deerling. The sight of the pink Pokémon left both of them giggling and the thought that his father had pranced around with flowers in his antlers had Harry snorting.

As Harry ate his birthday breakfast (pancakes, sausage, and crispy bacon) he thought about how wonderful it was to talk to someone that actually KNEW his parents. Oh, plenty of people knew OF James and Lily, but few actually knew them on a deep level. Harry had heard the legends and the folk tales and found his parents to be larger-than-life in them. When he heard his friends talk about his parents Harry couldn't help but wonder if they weren't made up, as people just couldn't be as great as James and Lily were made out to be.

It was Remus' stories, like how his mother had once shoved his father into a Muk after he'd made the mistake of saying he didn't like her new purse, that let Harry really get to know who his parents were.

Remus looked up at Harry, a bit of egg dangling on his fork as he glanced at the boy. He stared at him for a few moments, as if trying to imprint the image before him into his memory. "I... I wish they were all here to see this."

"Me too," he said quietly. Harry had come to realize that just as he needed Remus... Remus needed him. The man was barely in his thirties yet looked to be nearly 50 at times. Life had worn him down and he had buried too many of his friends. There was James and Lily, of course, their lives snuffed out in the prime of life, just when they were beginning to build their future together. The Longbottoms hadn't been as close to Remus as the Potters but their loss had hurt just as badly. Harry had tried to find out what had happened to Neville's parents but all Remus would say was that Harry needed to hear the story from Neville himself.

Remus had told plenty of stories about his time at Hogwarts. He regaled Harry with tales of The Marauders, the Gryffindor Four who had sought out high-and-mighty Slytherins and pranked them back down to Earth. Remus always tempered the stories with the warning that they had been young and stupid and thus Harry should not follow in their footsteps; the boy got the sense that Remus was ashamed of some of his actions, especially in the light of what Dudley had done to Harry.

Though the stories always brought out laughter in the older man, the joy never quite reached his eyes. Finally, two weeks back, Remus had told Harry of the fall of the Marauders. He explained what few had known: that the reason Lord Voldemort and Team Nocturne had learned of the Potters' flight to Little Surrey was because of the word of a traitor. One of the Marauders had betrayed the rest, giving up the information in exchange for power and glory. He had thrown away their friendship and their years together.

That man... was Peter Pettigrew.

When news of James and Lily's death had reached The Order of Moltres (the group created by Albus Dumbledore to counter Team Nocturne, of which Harry's parents had been leaders of), Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, had taken it upon himself to hunt down Pettigrew. He had left Harry with the Little Surrey Police, never imagining they would turn him over to the Dursleys, and given chase after the traitor. It was believed by all, due to eye witness sightings, that Sirius and his Houndour had battled Peter in the middle of a raging storm on a high rocky cliff on the edge of Little Surrey and both trainers had plunged to their deaths. Some said that Sirius had laughed as he fell, grappling with Peter as they fell to the rocks below. Of Sirius' Houndour Remus would not speak of, but Harry had done some searches online and found ghost stories that featured him.

Of all that had fought to save Avalon, only a few remained. Some, like Albus and Remus, kept a cautious eye on the world, fearful that the remains of Team Nocturne would rise again. Others, like Harry and Neville, grew up in the shadows of their parents, wondering if they would every escape into the sun and have their own deeds shine through to the world.

Harry smiled slightly at Remus, raising his glass of OJ. "Me too... but I'm glad I have you."

"Me too, Harry, me too." Remus raised his own glass in a toast and the two continued on with their meal in silence. It was only when the last piece of bacon was consumed and the white takeout boxes were tossed in the trash that Remus finally spoke. "Well, why don't you run upstairs and get your Pokémon."

"This part of my super secret birthday celebration?"

"Of course," Remus said with a laugh. "So now hurry up and go get them, kiddo. You are only 12 once."

Harry grinned and rushed up stairs, taking them three at a time despite Remus yelling at him not to. He bounded into his bedroom, snatching his pokéball holder and grabbed his hat, his mind a whirl of thoughts and ideas for what Remus might have planned.

'Harry Potter...'

Harry whipped around, eyes wide as the voice rang through his brain. He watched as a Kadabra stepped forward from the closet where he'd been hiding in. Unlike the other Kadabras Harry had seen, this one did not move with the grace and power its species was known for. This one was jittery and jumpy, tugging on its mustache and looking about as if it expected a sudden blow to come. Its single spoon was tucked behind his ear, which twitched every time he heard a noise.

'I'm Harry,' he thought to the psychic Pokémon, wondering for a moment if this was part of Remus' surprise.

'No... not wolfie-man's surprise,' the Kadabra thought back. 'Dobby here to warn Harry Potter... Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!'

* * *

Author's Notes: And thus begins Book 2! As I have stated in the past, this story will not be a faithful retelling of the books but a look at an alternate universe where echos of the books will shine through. Already we see the first of the major changes: Remus Lupin giving Harry the home he deserves. No Dursleys, to protection wards. No reason for Harry to remain in an abusive home.

We also see the second change: the story of Sirius Black. It makes NO SENSE that in a world that has magic truth serum Sirius would have been falsely convicted. Thus, in my world, Sirius is hailed a fallen hero who defeated his archenemy and plunged into the dark abyss. A better fate than rotting in a prison.

People ask me why I choose the Pokemon I do for the characters. I thought I would talk about one each chapter. I have already dealt with Eevee and why I picked him, so we will cover Ludwig. I knew that I wanted Harry to have a well-rounded team. Harry will not focus on one type but instead will have a good, strong group of Pokemon. Ludwig came out of my desire for him to have a ghost type and a fire type. It is also such an interesting Pokemon and is my favorite of the ghost types. Plus, thanks to its new special ability I gave it, it can stand in for Harry's cloak.


	2. Dobby's Warning

Note: I do not own Harry Potter or Pokémon. I do own a Donphan named Phil though, and he is the best!

Please remember to review

~MC~MC~MC~

Maybe, in another world, he reacted differently.

Perhaps in another time and place, where his life had been different, Harry chose to stare at Dobby and wonder what he was doing in his bedroom. In that other place he argued with the little creature, telling him that he was going to go back to Hogwarts no matter what Dobby said. And in that world Dobby would, quite naturally, take it upon himself to find ways to prevent Harry from going back. He would his power to cause disruptions or attempt to block Harry from leaving his room. If that failed he might become even more desperate and actually seek to hurt the boy, if only to drive him away for his own good.

Yes, in another world all these things could have happened.

"REMUS!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs.

Dobby waved his arms about, eyes wide and full of panic. 'No, the great Harry Potter must not call wolfie man! Dobby cannot be seen!' The Kadabra lifted his hand, the bent spoon he grasped in his paw glowing as he began to prepare a psychic attack.

"Eevee!"

There was a flash of light and Harry rolled to his right, his hand firmly gripping Eevee's pokéball. The brown and tan Pokémon leapt over his master and tackled Kadabra, sending him slamming into a wall. The psychic Pokémon shook his head and fired off a Psyshock attack. Eevee let out a cry as he was hit, body shaking slightly as it fought off the mental attack.

"Shadow Ball!"

Eevee, his body still twitching, opened his mouth and fired off an orb of dark energy, Kadabra crying out over the mental link he'd created with Harry as the blast struck him in the chest. Dobby lifted up his spoon and Harry watched as sparks began to dance along the bent piece of metal. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise; it was the same feeling one might get just before a thunderstorm.

"Eevee, Sand Attack!" Harry called out. Eevee twisted and kicking his heels up, sending bits of dust into the air. The attack struck Dobby in the face, causing the psychic Pokémon to fumble and send the bolt of lightning to the right, burning a hole in the carpet. "Hey, I hope you are able to pay for that!" Harry shouted. "Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

Eevee nodded and fired off a second blob of ghostly energy. Dobby let out another cry, his body swaying back and forth before he slammed against the ground, out cold. Eevee walked over and sniffed the strange Pokémon before trotting back to his trainer. He sat down at Harry's feet and looking up at him as if wondering 'ok, what was _that_ all about?'

At that moment Remus burst into the room in his Zoroark form. He looked around, snarling slightly as he looked for intruders, claws flexed and ready to tear into his opponent. Harry, having been warned previously by his caretaker to not do anything rash while he was in that form, slowly approached Remus with his palms out and visible, showing he was unarmed. Eevee lay on the ground, his belly pressed against the carpet as he deferred to the trickster Pokémon.

"I'm ok, Remus, I'm ok." The Zoroark stared at him for a moment before rolling his shoulders, his features melting away as Zorua and Remus separated. The older man looked down at Dobby, then back at Harry. He opened his mouth to chastise the boy for battling without permission, only for Harry to speak up. "Before you start, he attacked me... after he threatened me. That isn't breaking the rules." He jerked his thumb towards the still smoldering section of the carpet. "That was his fault too."

"He threatened you?" Remus said, kneeling down and rubbing his chin. "That's... unusual."

"Ok, he didn't actually say the words 'I'm going to gut you' or any rubbish like that, but it was in his tone."

"His tone?"

"He spoke to me in my head."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I figured as much, being a psychic type. What did he 'say' to you?"

Harry sighed as he slumped onto his bed, Eevee leaping into his arms and rubbing his head against the boy's chest. Harry grabbed a potion bottle from his desk and let Eevee take a few sips. "Well, he was waiting for me and told me I couldn't go back to Hogwarts. I called for you and he flipped out, saying that he couldn't be seen by you... or, as he said, the 'wolfie man'." He held up his hand, mimicking the Kadabra's movements. "He then prepped to perform some kind of Psychic attack and I called out Eevee and had him perform a Tackle then a Shadow Ball." Harry pointed to the smoking spot on his floor. "He launched that but I had Eevee Sand Attack him so he'd miss. Then Eevee took him out with a Shadow Ball."

"Very interesting," Remus said, rubbing his chin. "You did good, Harry. You tried to get me before resorting to fighting a strange Pokémon. Can't really fault you for that so good job." Harry beamed at the praise. "Now then, let's find out what this guy has to say for himself." Remus pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Reuniclus, I choose you!"

There was a flash of light and a green Pokémon appeared before them. When Harry had first seen the strange psychic type he'd found him captivating, mostly due to his unusual biology. Reuniclus looked like a teddy bear crossed with a white blood cell. Its body was completely encased in translucent green plasma and its arms weren't connected to its body, even though they moved as if they were. Remus had told Harry that his father had caught the strange Pokémon (then a Solosis) in Unova and presented it to him on his 11th birthday along with his acceptance letter into Hogwarts. Reuniclus helped Remus many times, first during his school years, then later in life in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the gyms he inspected.

"Reuniclus, use Psytrap." The green Pokémon nodded, thrusting out its hands and sending out bands of green psychic energy. They wrapped around Dobby's arms and legs, lifting him in the air and keeping him immobile. "Alright, he won't be escaping from that..." Remus tugged on his mustache, "send out Ludwig though, just in case."

Harry nodded, tossing out his ShadowFlame ball; Ludwig appeared, followed shortly by Togepi. Harry and Ludwig both gave the baby Pokémon a cool stare but she didn't notice, choosing instead to toddle over to Eevee and give him a hug. The boy sigh, knowing it would be useless to try and get the baby back into her ball. Togepi had a mind of her own and when she sensed more than one of Harry's Pokémon out she loved to join the party and play. Eevee rolled his eyes before pushing Togepi to sit down; his little pink tongue darted out and he began to lick the baby, grooming her. Ludwig hovered around the two, acting as always like a mother hen.

"Alright Harry, before we wake him up I want you to tell me everything you can about him. What do you observe?"

Harry frowned, kneeling down and getting a better look at Dobby's fainted form. "He's a Kadabra, obviously. Male, too."

"How can you tell?" Remus knew Kadabra was male but wanted Harry to show his work, as it were.

"The mustache. Female Kadabras' mustaches tend only to be stubs; this one's is quite long."

"Good. What else?"

"He's... he's a bit underfed, I think. I've never seen a Kadabra face to face… but from what I remember from my dex they have a good amount of bulk in their stomach and tails. This one is almost as thin as an Alakazam." When Remus didn't say a word, Harry continued on. "A few faded scars... I think whoever trained him only used potions instead of going to a Pokécenter." It was well know that while potions could help heal Pokémon after an injury, they did nothing to remove the scars that came from such damage. Only a Pokécenter could fully heal a Pokémon. Harry looked over at Remus. "Why would he have a name if his trainer didn't care for him?"

"Very good; you are asking the right questions." Remus kneels down and ran his hand along Dobby's brow. He'd been teaching Harry about the many mystical abilities and connections Pokémon and Trainers could have. The first lesson had been on the Art of Pokemagnus. Remus had gone into great detail about the risks of merging with one's Pokémon: the Pokémon and trainer must have a strong bond, lest one override the other and render the transformation invalid; only none-evolved Pokémon could be used; attempting to master the skill unaided (as Remus, James, Sirius and Peter had done) could result in death or losing oneself completely to the transformation. He had promised Harry that, when the boy was older, he would work with him to see if Harry had the potential to become a pokemagnus himself.

Remus had also discussed such techniques as Mega Evolution (taught in Kalos using focus stones) and the Dream Walkers from Unova who could enter their Pokémon's mind and unlock moves and attacks thought to have long been bred out of the line.

But what had really fascinated Harry was the fact that his mother had shown signs of being a Speaker. The Art of Speaking was thought to be lost. Remus had explained that there were trainers, such as Lily Potter and, from what he had gathered, Neville Longbottom, who showed signs of having the gift but had no way to develop it. It wasn't their fault, of course; how could one master an art that had been seemingly lost to the sands of time?

Or had it?

Remus had then told a captivated Harry that during the Johto-Kanto War, word had begun to spread that the Lost Art had been resurrected. Some whispered that an ancient Keep on Whirl Island filled with scrolls that detailed mastery of the Art had been discovered by the Sons of Johto; though little was known of what the scrolls held, Remus had told Harry that it was believed by many that Jack Kenway, leader of the Sons, had studied the lost Art, becoming its first modern master, and used it to defeat Lance Blackthorn during the final battle of the war.

What was known was that Speakers held a spiritual bond with their Pokémon. Those with the potential to be Speakers, Remus had explained, were most likely to name their Pokémon. Or, for the more sensitive ones, learn the Pokémon's true name.

"What about his behavior? What does that tell you?" Remus asked, pulling Harry from his musings.

Harry thought back on Dobby's actions. "He was strange... skittish. Kinda talked weird too. When Slowking sorted me his mental voice was no different than a human's. Dobby's... Dobby's was just... I don't know how to explain it."

"It was unrefined. It was almost like a child speaking."

"Exactly!" Harry exclaimed.

Remus nodded. "I thought as much. He's a servant."

"A servant?"

The older man ran his tongue along his teeth, Zorua barking in outrage. "There are some people that should not be called trainers. They look at Pokémon and all the amazing things they can do and see them only as tools. They don't bother to train them or help them grow... they just teach them a few moves that can be useful and set them off on their tasks."

"That's horrible," Harry said in disgust. Though he had only been around Pokémon a short while, he could tell they were intelligent creatures. They battled for their trainers because it helped them grow and evolve… but that did not make them mere tools. Eevee wasn't like a blender that Harry could plug in; he had thoughts and feelings and emotions and dreams.

"That's life," Remus stated with a grunt. Harry was thankful for the blunt way Remus talked; the man did not sugarcoat things or treat him like a child who should only be told what little they needed to know. Remus had told him once that they'd both suffered in life and it was no use to gloss over the negative; better to grit your teeth, work through it, and move on to the positive. "That's why our little friend here is so thin and his behavior is erratic: he's never been cared for with the love he deserves..." Remus trailed off, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

"I'm just thinking I might be slightly off..."

Remus pulled out a Revive crystal from his pocket and placed it next to the Kadabra's snout. Dobby sniffed and subconsciously stuck his tongue out, capturing the medicine and gulping it down. Within moments his eyes fluttered open and he began to thrash against the Psytrap bonds. Reuniclus held fast though, a cute little smile on his face as he shot out his hands and strengthened the restraints. Eevee, as casually as he could, slid around and shielded Togepi with his body, the baby blinking in confusion only to become distracted by Eevee's twitching tail. Ludwig, seeing that Togepi was save, moved to float beside Harry, ready to protect his partner.

"Dobby, stop," Remus said sternly. "We do not want to hurt you and you don't want to hurt yourself! Stop struggling and let us help you."

'Dobby can't!' he cried out in their heads, his ears twitching. 'Dobby already bad Pokémon! Dobby betray master! Bad, bad Dobby!' If it weren't for the restraints the Kadabra would have begun to bash his head against a wall.

"Did you get all that?" Harry asked.

Remus nodded, rubbing his temples. "Yeah... sounded like he was speaking underwater on a ruddy mobile but I got it."

Harry's brow furrowed. "It sounded pretty clear to me."

"I guess you got more than just your eyes from your mum," Remus said with a smile before turning his attention back to Dobby. "Dobby, you told Harry he could not return to Hogwarts. Why?"

Dobby blinked his eyes, his struggles stopping for a moment. 'It not safe there, wolfie man! The great Harry Potter be in danger!'

Remus reached out and grasped Harry's hand, squeezing it before continuing. "Dobby, can you tell us what the danger is?" Dobby rapidly shook his head no. "Dobby, I want you to focus on me, ok? Look me in the eye... just focus on what I am saying and thinking." The Pokémon nodded warily. "Longbottom, Granger, Goyle, Greengrass, Nott, Malfoy-"

Harry nearly leapt back at the tremors that ran through Dobby's body.

"I bloody well knew it!" Remus snarled.

"Remus?" Harry asked.

Remus squeezed Harry's hand again; it was a silent sign that he would explain more in a moment. "Dobby... you say you betrayed your master, right?"

'Dobby did... Dobby bad!'

"Yes, you betrayed your master... but not your family." Dobby's eyes widened and Remus leaned in closer. "You are honoring your family, aren't you?"

Big far tears dripped from Dobby's eyes. 'Miss Melody good trainer. M-Miss Melody fought with the Great Harry Potter's mum and da... that why Dobby come. Miss Melody told Dobby to help… before… before…' The Kadabra hung his head and sobbed.

Remus nodded to Reuniclus, who released the restraints. Remus gently reached out, his calloused hand stopping the shakes that were causing Dobby to twitch like he'd been shocked. "And she is proud of you, Dobby. You did good, you hear me? You did very good. Now, I want you to go back to your... master... and act as if nothing happened. I will take care of this. Only come back if you learn something new, ok?"

Dobby nodded his head. 'Dobby understand.'

"You are a good Pokemon," Harry added. "And if we can find someway to help you… you have my word."

Dobby wiped away another tear. 'Dobby thank Harry Potter' He lifted up his hand and with a snap of his fingers was gone.

"Bloody hell," Remus said, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "Life's a laugh, isn't it?"

"How did you know Dobby's... master..." Harry scowled, the word like vinegar in his mouth, "was Draco?"

Remus chuckled. "Actually, it isn't Draco. Dobby belongs to... well, if Sirius was here he'd say 'the biggest bloody git to ever strut through Hogwarts'." Harry chuckled at the way Remus' voice took on a light, flippant tone when he impersonated his friend. "Do you know what happens to a Pokémon if their trainer is killed?" Harry shook his head. "Normally a Pokémon who is left trainerless first goes to family or friends. If there are none, then the Pokémon is 'released', which is a nice way to say they are placed in a kind of Pokémon orphanage." Harry blinked in surprise and Remus chuckled. "You didn't think we'd let trained Pokémon go free, did you? It would cause chaos! Could you imagine that Ludwig wouldn't hang around if you released him?" Harry accepted that, patting the ghost Pokémon on the back. "If they are young enough they might go to the likes of Mr. Ollivander; if they are rather old or powerful then local gym leaders will usually take them in and use them.

"After the war with Team Nocturne there was a massive influx of Pokémon. Nocturne grunts had their Pokémon taken when they were captured. On our side... well, there were entire families that were wiped out. Hundreds upon hundreds of Pokémon were suddenly in the system and there weren't enough orphanages to take them in. Worse, many of the gyms had destroyed: your parents, the Black gym in Mordred's End, the Longbottoms... there simply weren't enough gym leaders to take the load.

"Now, during the war the government was brought to the brink of ruin. The Elite Four met with the Council to try and figure out how they could recover now that Voldemort had been defeated. The head of the International Relations, Cornelius Fudge, came up with an idea they quickly adopted: auction off the orphaned Pokémon."

"EEVEE!" Harry was startled by the way his Pokémon snarled at Remus' words. Ludwig, seeing that the outburst had startled Togepi, flew down and lifted the baby up and placed her in Harry's arms. For his part, Remus merely continued to lie on his back while Harry attempted to soothe the whimpering baby.

"Believe me, I share your opinion Eevee and so did many others. Hell, old Barty Crouch was ready to step down and leave the Elite 3 until they convinced him to take over Fudge's position after he was elected Minister."

Harry flashed Remus a sour look; they'd learned a bit about the structure of the Avalon Government before school had ended for the summer. Avalon's government, like most of the regions, was divided into three parts: the Council, which was made up of gym leaders and officials from non-gym towns, with the Pokémon Champion usually acting as their head; the Minister and his secretaries, who ran various departments that focused mostly on the financial parts of running Avalon; and the Elite Four, who ran the International Relations, Law Enforcement, Internal Research, and Medicine. In Harry's opinion, it sounded like a lot of people held titles that did little. He heard about how important these people were but had never really seen them do anything that could be considered 'great'.

"There were a lot of people that clamored to buy up those Pokémon. Some, thankfully, were good people that wanted to purchase Pokémon to ensure they got good homes. Others did it because they actually did want to support the government. Then... then there were men and women like Lucius Malfoy."

"Lucius?"

"Draco's father," Remus said darkly. For a moment Harry thought the older man had turned into his Zoroark form again. "A nasty piece of work, that one. According to official reports he was forced by Lord Voldemort to do his bidding and finance Team Nocturne. Unofficially, he bribed every politician he could find to look the other way and not mention that he was one of the highest ranking bastards; that's the only reason he isn't a guest of the Lord of Sevii right now. He has more money than any person has a right to and when the charges were dropped he began to spend it freely. He bought hundreds of Pokémon... he donated ones owned by convicted Team Nocturne members to their families while he gobbled up Pokémon owned by our side and made them his servants... or slaves."

"Merlin," Harry muttered.

Remus was silent for a moment before clapping his hands and hopping up. "Alright, let's get a move on! Got a lot planned for your birthday!"

"We're... we're still going out?" Harry asked, startled by the mood whiplash Remus had just delivered.

Remus looked at him, bemused. "Did you think I would wrap you in cotton and keep you hidden away?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Harry, what good is living if you live in fear? I wasted five years mourning your parents and Sirius and those were five years utterly wasted. I won't do it again. I am going to follow Sirius' example and face trouble with a sneer and a laugh." He held out his hand, helping Harry to his feet. "Besides, we already know there is a trap being set, so now we can move onto step two."

"Step two?"

"Springing it."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: So, a few things to cover here.

First off, some people wondered if I was merely replacing House Elves with Kadabras. This isn't the case. ANY Pokémon can be used as a servant, but some work better than others. Remember, Hogwarts has Clafairies working for them.

Reuniclus was a Pokémon that I, at first, hated very much… then I began to use him and he grew on me. I have a soft spot for Psychics (they, along with Ground types and Water starters tend to be my favorites) and Reuniclus is just a fun looking Pokémon. I decided to give him to Remus for several reasons that I don't want to cover here… but will discuss later on.

Psytrap is a new attack I created for this story. I figure since I am not having original Pokémon I can at least have original attacks. Psytrap is a Psychic Attack (classed as Phsyical) where the Pokémon creates bands that wrap around the opposing Pokémon for up to 5 turns. The attack is worth 30 hit points but its greater advantage is it prevents Pokémon from fleeing, teleporting, or being switched out. It also lowers their speed. It is the first of several attacks that are learned by Pokémon in the Avalon region.

I stated in comments to reviewers that I plan to have each region have its own special skill or ability. So far we know of four: Pokemagnus of Avalon (the ability to merge with a Pokémon and transform into its evolution), Dream Walkers of Unova (the ability to enter the dreams of Pokémon and find lost skills and open up new evolutionary paths that went extinct), Mega Evolutionists from Kalos (the use of focus stones to power up a Pokémon) and finally the Speakers of Johto (little is known… said to be a spiritual bond between a trainer and Pokémon). Suggestions for Kanto, Sinnoh and Hoenn are welcomed.

Any major errors please let me know about so I can correct. And please remember to review!


	3. Tor Town

Harry stumbled for a moment, Remus reaching over and grasping the boy's shoulder to keep him from landing on his rear. He glanced up at his guardian and scowled; it was clear from the way Remus' face kept twitching that the older man was fighting back a laugh. Zorua had no problem with showing Harry his mirth.

"I HATE traveling like that!" Harry grumped, shaking himself free from Remus' grip. "I don't get how anyone can take all the spinning."

"You can handle teleporters fine," Remus reminded him. He reached into his pack and pulled out a slimy berry, which Reuniclus happily grabbed. Harry tilted his head, watching as the cellular Pokémon absorbed the berry into its membrane, the bit of fruit dissolving away and the psychic type letting out a burp.

"Those are short range though," Harry said as Remus recalled Reuniclus. "I step on it, I spin maybe three times, and I'm in the common room. Nice, easy, safe. That... that was just a nightmare."

"It was either this or spend half your birthday taking the train... or a week walking."

Harry folded his arms over his chest, pouting. "I am going to catch a flying type one of these days..."

Remus ruffled his hair. "I still find it amazing... you open your mouth and you say things-"

"My dad would say?" Harry asked.

"Your mum," Remus stated, motioning for Harry to follow him. They'd telelported from Remus' house on Safir Shore and landed in a small, secluded wooded area. The trees were of average size and the grass was cut short, meaning they didn't have to worry about stepping on a Pokémon and triggering a battle. "She hated teleporting too. That's why she never owned a psychic type. Your dad was forever trying to convince her to just let him teleporter her but she was stubborn." Remus climbed over a fallen tree truck and then reached down to help Harry over, shoving away a few Caterpies that had wiggled over to investigate them. "Let me paint you a picture, ok Harry? It is your parent's wedding day. Your father is all flustered and placing around and around his room while Sirius was egging him on, telling ball and chain jokes. James goes over to a window and lets out the biggest yelp I've ever heard, then falls on the ground laughing.

"Sirius and I thought he'd lost it and go running over to help him. James is just pointing at the window though and giggling like a schoolgirl. We look out... you know what we see?" Remus snickered. "Your mother, in her full wedding dress, riding on her Altaria like the Zubats of hell were after her."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle "Seriously?"

Remus nodded. "She lost her veil, her hair was all over the place, and her face was wind-burnt. Your grandmother pitched a fit when she saw her future daughter-in-law like that but your mother merely told her that she hadn't set her alarm and woke up 3 hours late." Remus looked up at the clouds and let out a wistful sigh. "Your mother was the smartest trainer of our generation... but sometimes she could be a total ditz."

"You really liked her, huh?"

Remus nodded. "In another time and another place we might have gone on a date... but everyone knew she was James' girl... even if she didn't know it at the time. Still, other than the Marauders she was my best friend."

Remus turned a corner and Harry stopped short. There, standing before them, was a small, worn wooden sign. It has been painted many times, only for the sun to cook the color away and leave it chipping and peeling. Still, it was clear that the sign was not abandoned but cared for... most likely for hundreds of years.

'Tor Town- A Small Step on a Long Journey.'

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Remus said with a smirk as a gang of red heads rushed out of the brush, screaming "Surprise!"

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his mate and giving him a hug. Fred and George quickly tore Ron away and lifted Harry up in the air, dancing around and spinning the boy about as they sang a birthday song of their own creation.

"Oi, let him down, ya prats!" Ron called out.

"Poor choice of words," George said heaving Harry up and letting him go. The boy's eyes went wide as he fell towards the ground, only to find himself caught at the last moment by Plusle and Minun, who had dragged out a firemen's trampoline and, along with Fred and George's Raticates, held it steady as Harry bounced several times.

Ron glowered at his older brothers.

"We are merely welcoming our teammate with all the honor and fanfare he deserves!" Fred said.

"Boys," Remus said, his tone stern even if his eyes twinkled with amusement. "Please don't toss Harry."

Plusle and Minun darted off to put the trampoline away, leaving the twins, Ron and the Raticate brothers to lead Harry and Remus to their home. "It is a sad day when a Marauder is demanding the end to pranks," George said.

"I fear that we might end up like that, brother," Fred stated. Both stared at each other then gave a full body shudder.

"Your Raticates are pretty well trained," Harry said casually, watching as the two mouse Pokémon scurried about.

George nodded, patting Ron on the back. "Don't blame Ronny here for Scabbers. He just got the bad draw, that's all." Ron blinked in surprise at the rare show of understanding from the twins. "I doubt even dad could get that one to behave."

"Harry was telling me about that," Remus said to Ron. "I would have thought your father would have given you a Ratatta; that's what he started with and his father before him."

Ron blew out a long puff of air. "I was supposed to get a Ratatta but at the last minute dad got a surprise order from Kalos for a dozen so any that could have been mine got shipped off. He couldn't give me one of the breeding pairs of Raticates so I got stuck with Scabbers."

"He wasn't part of a mating pair?" Remus asked as they made their way down a curve in the path. The trees were thinning out and they could hear up ahead the calls of vendors selling their street wears.

Ron nodded. "Dad got him a couple years ago real cheap. He was one of the last Pokemon to be sold by the Ministry. Scabbers likes to just lie around and doesn't interact with any of the other couples." He patted Scabbers' pokeball. "It's ok, though... he can stay in there as long as he wants now that I have Cubchoo!" The youngest male Weasley grinned. "And maybe this year I'll catch an Emolga!"

"Must you copy us, little brother?" Fred said. "We are the ones with the electric mice, not you. Why not a nice Spearow?"

Ron shock his head. "No way... Emolga is the coolest and I am so catching one this year! It has lightning attacks and can fly!"

Harry tuned out the rest of the conversation as he turned his attention upon Tor Town. Much like the sign they had passed, the town had a sense of age to it. It wasn't falling apart, per say; it was more of a feeling of being lived in. The houses weren't gleaming new structures that followed the newest fads in architecture. Instead, they looked as if they belonged in a storybook written during a bygone era. The shops all happily proclaimed on their weather-beaten signs that they had been in busy for 50 to 70 to 90 to 110 years and that the same family had run and owned them since the doors had first opened. Vendors stood by wheeled carts and called out to all that they had fresh berries, fudge straight from the cooling board and hand crafted ribbons that would be perfect for any Pokemon. The brick-lined streets echoed with the clop-clop-clop of Ponyta hooves as the fire type pulled a wagon full of tourists around. A couple on their honeymoon rode past on a tandem bike, chatting away about taking a ride through the forest to see Onix's Archway.

There were touches of the modern world, like electrical lines and computer banks. The Pokecenter was clearly new but then again it wasn't own and run by the people of Tor Town but by Doctor Onassis of the Elite Four and her department. Most of the people Harry saw were wearing clothes that would let them fit in on the streets of Gallihad. There were a few shop owners who wore dress shirts and vests with little bow ties, but Harry got the sense this was more to help continue the illusion of a town separated from time.

"Tor Town wasn't always this busy," Remus commented as they walked past a toy shop. "It lies right on the coast of Avalon and the Guinevere River splits a mile north of here and circles the town. That lets trainers from the north and those coming from other regions on the cruise ships to stop here instead of taking the more pricey trains in Gallihad. In the old days you'd get that traffic but they mostly passed through. About 60 years ago, though, there was this fad that rolled through Avalon where adult trainers would go back through all the cities and towns they had traveled through to get their gym badges. Now, it wasn't all that uncommon to go to Gallihad City or Percival, but Tor Town didn't get a lot of repeat foot traffic and when these adults came back and remembered the first city that started their journey... suddenly an industry popped up."

Ron huffed in annoyance. "Tell that to some of the gym leaders, though! They still look down on us and call us backwater! We have our own Gauntlet Team, for Merlin's sake."

Harry opened his mouth to say something comforting to his friend, only to stop dead in his tracks. He'd heard the expression 'jaw-dropping' but this was the first time he was truly experiencing the phenomenon.

"Ain't she amazing?" Ron said, chaffed with pride as they gazed upon the Tor Town gym.

'Amazing' was right, though not for the reasons Ron might have held. The Tor Town Gym looked like the creation of some mad architect... or a toddler who liked to play with Legos. Towering over all the other buildings in Tor Town, the gym was a strange patchwork tower that represented the growth and evolution of Tor Town. Each of the 6 stories was designed differently, reflecting the style of the era they belonged too. Making even more surprising was the way the building jutted back and forth, with no one level firmly planted directly on top of another; instead they hung off to the side, like a poorly stacked sandwich. This only helped strengthen the illusion that the gym was a teetering stack of blocks built by a 2-year old.

"Don't worry, its completely safe," Remus said quietly enough to prevent the Weasleys from hearing. When Harry glanced at him the older man smirked. "I had a panic attack the moment I first saw it. The gym, thank Merlin, is in the basement, but Arthur invited us to the very top to meet the family."

Harry gulped. "Not liking this birthday surprise anymore, Remus."

The man laughed. "The building looks like that because there is a hollow concrete support running right through the middle of it. It's based on Sprout Tower over in Johto and that thing has been standing for years."

Harry nodded, still glancing up at the structure with a feeling of dread. More and more Remus' place was looking like the best home ever.

"Hello Remus!" Arthur Weasley said, hustling out of the door and shaking hands with the Gym Evaluator. "I'm glad this isn't an official visit!"

"Have something I shouldn't see in there, Arthur?" Remus said with a laugh.

Arthur went red as he realized what he had said. "Oh, oh no no no! I merely meant-"

"I'm just pulling your leg, Arthur, no need to worry."

Calming himself, Arthur looked down and held out his hand. "Hello Harry, nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Weasley."

Arthur motioned for the children and Remus to follow him inside. "Come on, come on, no need to stand out there in this heat!" Arthur pulled out a worn white hankie from his pocket and ran it across his brow. "Normally we get a nice stiff sea breeze coming out of the south but today it's been just stifling."

The twins chuckled behind their father's back, puffing out their cheeks to let Harry know the real reason Arthur was getting all hot and bothered. While he wasn't close to Vernon Dursley's weight Arthur wasn't a thin man either. The heat and the extra weight didn't stop him from moving about like a Combee, making sure everything in the gym lobby was where it should be.

The lobby was a sparse little room, roughly the size of one of Hogwart's smaller classrooms. There were two ornate pillars with Pokéballs on them standing in front of the doorway and beyond that was a receptionist's desk that Molly Weasley sat behind. On either side of her were a row of chairs. Behind Molly was a display board, this one listing different times and room/floor numbers. Harry noticed that above these chairs were LCD screens that either glowed red, blue, or green, or were turned off completely. Seated in the chairs was a wide array of people; some were dressed like trainers, others businessmen, and a few strange people like the woman in full medical scrubs and the guy in a Pikachu costume.

"Pssst! Kid!" Harry turned, staring at a dark-haired man leaning against one of the pillars. "You want to be a champ? Of course you do! I can let you know-"

"He's with us, Franky."

The dark-haired man blinked. "Oh... ok, Mr. Weasley."

Harry glanced at Remus who chuckled. "An advisor. Groupies, really; they like to hang around gyms and help out trainers."

"Harry!" Molly said happily, waving the gang over. "Oh, how good to see you!" She hurried around her desk and wrapped Harry in a hug that left the boy wondering if he had any non-broken bones left. Remus, wisely, ducked to the right and gave Molly a quick one-handed hug before she could get him into her grasp. "Look at you... you've grown so much since last year." She ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek. "Still a bit on the skinny side."

"Mum, you think everyone is a bit on the skinny side," Fred reminded her.

Molly merely gave them a look before returning her attention to Harry. "So, I suppose you are wondering about all this?" Arthur chose that moment to break away from the group, heading to the teleporter by the back wall. He pulled out an id card and flashed it, the device beeping before he stepped onto it and warped away. Molly motioned for Harry and Remus to step towards the receptionist desk, which she hurried around before taking a seat. She typed in a few commands on her keyboard. "You've probably heard that every gym also serves a secondary function in the community."

Harry nodded; he'd heard about that from Hermione during a lull during one of their study sessions. She'd explained that as gyms had become more complex and original in design (moving away from a simple indoor battle field to a puzzle-filled adventure zone) the gym leaders had realized that they could help their community by not only serving as a gym leader but using the gym to give the town or city something it could otherwise never get. Hermione had commented that Percival City 's gym was also the headquarters of The Quibbler while the Diggorys had turned their gym into a baseball stadium.

"Well, you've obviously seen the unusual design of this gym," Molly stated with a hint of a smile. "We ourselves only use this floor, the basement, the top floor and the breeding paddock out back. The other floors we rent out to companies, people looking to put on parties... the town council even uses the 4th floor to hold their monthly meetings!" Molly grinned as she pointed to the board. "This here shows what's going on each day and on what floor.

"Now, since we had the lobby already installed, Arthur had the brilliant idea to use it as part of his puzzle. You see those LCD screens?" Harry nodded once more and Molly continued. "The black ones mean that whoever is sitting under them is here to use one of the other floors. The lit up ones have our junior trainers and assistant gym leaders under them."

Harry's brow furrowed; while that made sense, it still didn't explain why the trainers were dressed as doctors, firemen, a pikachu, and other assorted characters.

Molly reached over and grabbed a slip of paper from a miniprinter that sat on her desk. "When a trainer comes in, we give them a riddle, the difficulty of which depends on how many badges they have. Since you have none, why don't you try your hand at a simple one?" Harry took the slip of paper from Mrs. Weasley and read it over.

_'I am the color of Fire's Bane. No matter what, I am never the opposite of wrong. I like fruit, despite what some say.'_

Harry looked over at the different trainers that were pretending not to notice him before walking over to the one dressed in full scrubs. "Water types beat fire types and water is represented by the color blue. The opposite of wrong is right, so the trainer is on the left, and an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

The 'doctor' nodded and handed Harry an id card similar to the one Arthur had used.

"Great job, mate!" Ron sat, patting Harry on the back.

"Thanks," Harry said, flipping the id card over and over. "So, what if I had guessed wrong?"

"You would have had to battle one of the junior gym leaders," Molly said with a smile, hitting a few more keys and printing up another riddle. "We have different riddles every day and they become more vague the more badges you have. Here is one for someone with 7 badges."

Harry looked over the riddle: 'Two away from the ice melter'.

"I don't get it. Ice melter would mean fire..."

Remus glanced over the riddle. "Its referring to the strength/weakness cycle. Fire burns grass, grass absorbs water, water douses fire. Two away would be two going backwards on the cycle, so grass."

"But there are 3 trainers with green boxes."

Molly nodded. "Exactly. We feel that if you have 7 badges you deserve a challenge. You have to guess which trailer is the right one and that will only earn you another riddle card."

Fred grinned. "Sometimes dad lets me and George sit in... that really confuses the challengers."

"I don't see why it would, since we look nothing alike." George stated.

"Indeed; I am clearly the prettier one," Fred replied.

George shook his head. "Clearly I am the smarter one, since you don't realize I am the prettier of the two of us."

"Why don't you give the card a try, Harry?" Molly said, motioning for the boy to walk over to the teleporter. Harry swiped his card and after a moment stepped onto the pad. There was the familiar spinning then the boy landed in a dark battle ring, facing down Arthur Weasley.

"Remus thought you might like a chance to take on an actual gym leader," Arthur said, pulling out a pokeball. "You know, actually see how good your skills are."

"...merlin," Harry said in delight, pulling out a ball.

* * *

Author's Notes: Tor Town is loosely based on Mackinaw Island. I wanted a sense of age for Tor Town but for it to also have the feel of a Pokémon World town. I see it being one of the smallest towns in the region but also having many things new trainers would want to get. I see Tor Town as a place that, in the games, a trainer would first learn about held items and be able to grab a few interesting healing items.

When it came to the Tor Town gym I knew I had to base it somewhat on the Burrow but I wanted to give it my own touch. When I realized that I would be making it a patchwork tower it fit perfectly to have it be Avalon's version of Sprout Tower.

The puzzle was fun to figure out, as I wanted something that you could, realistically, see them doing in one of the games.

Next chapter will have Harry involved in his first major Pokémon battle and will also let me introduce some more of the Weasleys… and play with canon once again.


	4. The Standard Badge Battle

Author's Note: Please remember to review. Reviews feed the muses and get me writing faster.

* * *

"This will be an unofficial gym battle," Percy declared. When Harry had agreed to battle Arthur the head of the Weasley family had typed a command in his dex and soon the dueling arena was filled with red-heads. Harry recognized Molly and the Twins and he waved to Ron who gave him a thumbs up. Remus was standing off to the side, a slight smile on his face but his eyes holding a calculating gleam; this would be his first chance to see Harry actually battle someone and he wanted to examine the boy's skills properly.

Harry glanced just behind Molly, giving a friendly smile to a young girl who seemed to be internally debating if she should hide behind her mother or step out and view the battle with the rest of her family. From her bright red hair Harry could tell that this was Ron's little sister, Ginny. Ron hadn't said much about her during their time at Hogwarts other than to casually mention one time that Ginny had been excited when she found out that Ron knew Harry. It seemed weird to him that she would be thrilled that her brother was friends with him, then look ready to shy away the moment he glanced in her direction.

Harry shook his head, turning his attention back onto Mr. Weasley. It would do him no good to lose this battle because he was focusing on Ginny Weasley instead of her father.

Percy, even though he knew this was an unofficial gym battle, had taken it upon himself to dress in a referee outfit to make things as authentic as possible. Off to the side, Percy's Watchog stood tall, his face just as stern and controlled as his trainer's. Ron had once told Harry that due to his brother Bill going to work for the Josephs' as a Pokeranger and his other brother Charlie deciding he wanted to work at the Charizard Valley and race a Charmander of his own, Percy was next in line to take over the Tor Town Gym. The young man took this responsibility quite seriously, leading him to attack life with a stead-fast drive and, according to Ron and the twins, an almost pig-headed determination to have things be utterly proper. This attitude, amongst his more laid back and casual family, had earned him a nickname among his younger siblings: Percy the Prat.

"The opponents will each use one Pokemon. The challenger is allowed to use one Potion during the match, but is restricted from using any other medicines, berries or items. There will be no time limit. The match will end when a Pokemon is unable to continue battling, due to fainting or command of their trainer. Any attempt to interfere-"

"Oi, get on with it!" Ron called out, earning a snicker from George and Fred.

Percy raised his arm up, not even dignifying the comment with a glare. "Begin!"

"Rattata, I choose you!" Arthur called out. The purple little mouse Pokemon appeared on the field, tail twitching as he looked for his opponent. His overly large front teeth clicked against his smaller incisors as he prepared for the battle that was to come.

"Ludwig, I choose you!" Harry declared, sending out the candle ghost. "Use-"

There was a second flash of light and both Harry and Ludwig sighed as Togepi appeared, looking about before toddling towards the batte ground, giggling happily.

"Remus?" Harry asked weakly as Percy began to argue that Harry should be disqualified.

"On it," Remus said, hurrying onto the field and scooping up Togepi. "Come on, little lady, why don't you stay with Uncle Remus and Uncle Zorua and watch Ludwig from the sidelines, ok?"

"Toki..." Togepi said stubbornly, clearly not wanting to leave Ludwig. The little ghost pokemon waved to Togepi, letting out several calls that seemed to reassure the baby that everything was alright.

"I clearly said one Pokémon! Harry, you are disqualified-" Percy began only for Fred and George to clamp their hands over his mouth.

Arthur merely smiled. "No need, Percy, no need. Not Harry's fault the little girl is so spirited." Arthur turned his attention back on the battle at hand. "But no more distractions, ok Harry?"

"Got it," Harry said with a sharp nod.

"Harry thought this through quite well," Remus stated quietly when he returned to the Weasleys, Togepi amusing herself by trying to gum his thumb. "Ludwig is a ghost type, so Arthur cannot use any normal attacks."

"Yes, it is a smart strategy," Molly said with a smile. "However, Harry is not the first to attempt such a method and we have ways of keeping the battle interesting."

"Rattata, use Bite!" Arthur called out.

"Rata!" Rattata declared, leaping at Ludwig and biting down on the candle Pokémon's head. Ludwig let out a cry, his flame flickering as he shook Rattata off. The ghost panted a little as wax dribbling down its forehead from the cut Arthur's Pokémon had left.

"We have lots of trainers bring in ghost types here, thinking that will give them an edge," Arthur stated. "Poor things are barely trained and half mad out of their heads because they are dealing with a trainer that doesn't know how to care for them properly. Do you know what happens to those trainers, Harry? 9 times out of 10 they lose… they lose horribly." Arthur shook his head sadly. "And they just look at me and wonder what they did wrong. Some of them don't do their research and forget that Normal types are immune to Ghost moves, so the two types cancel each other out. I've seen trainers get the weirdest looks on their faces when they realize that their 'all powerful ghost' can't even do anything to my Rattata. For others… well, they went out of their way to catch a Ghost type, figuring that if it knows a Poison move or a Dark attack they can beat me real easy.

"There is a reason we raise Rattatas, Harry; they are able to use several different attack types. Electric, for example… I have a Raticate that would make you think he was a Pikachu in disguise. Another one I love to use against Grass types because of its Ice Beam and Blizzard attacks. This one is the child of my Ghost Breaker Raticate… he has been taunt plenty of Dark moves that can take out any spooks." Arthur smiled. "Now, those attacks might not be my Rattata's strongest, but since your Litwick is a ghost type, you lose out on your strongest attacks... just like Rattata."

"Yes and no," Harry said, clearly not fazed by the fact that with only one move Rattata had found Ludwig's weakness. "Ludwig _is_ a ghost type, so that's why I picked him to fight your normal type Pokémon. But he is also a fire type... and that gives me a few other moves to try out! Ludwig, use Will-O-Wisp!"

"Litwick!" The candle pokemon's flame flashed and ghostly orbs of light flew across the room. Rattata, seemingly in a trance, approached one of the orbs, only to cry out when it exploded, burning a patch of fur on its nose.

Arthur pointed at Ludwig. "Rattata, use Bite again!" The rat Pokémon snarled, leaping at the Pokémon that had burned him and once more sinking his teeth into the top of Ludwig's head.

"Now that he's close, bring him around and use Smog!" Harry called out.

"Lit-" Ludwig grabbed Rattata, ripping the Pokémon away from the top of his head and forcing the little purple rat near his face. The candle ghost's cheeks puffed out and with a great "BLAARRH!" he expelled a thick, poisonous cloud right in Rattata's face. Arthur's Pokémon stumbled back, coughing as it tried to clear its airways. The burns on its nose, combined with the foul gas now flying up its nostrils, left the Rattata shaking its head about.

"Hmmm... Harry will win shortly," Remus said, running his fingers along Togepi's head ridges and earning a coo of delight from the baby Pokémon. Remus had sensed that the little girl did not like seeing Ludwig hurt and Remus was doing all he could to keep her from leaping down and joining the battle.

"What do you mean, Mr. Lupin?" Ron asked as his father had Rattata perform another Bite attack. "My dad's Rattata nearly has Ludwig down for the count!" This was true; Ludwig was panting heavily and his movements were growing sluggish. There were several bite marks on his head and his flame kept flickering every couple of seconds. Compared to Rattata, who was only suffering from a burn on its nose and kept coughing due to the Smog attack, it looked to Ron as if Harry would be beaten in another turn or so.

"Both of them are limited on what kind of attacks they can use," Remus said casually. "Rattata can't use his normal attacks and it appears it only knows Bite. Ludwig-"

"Ember!" Harry called out. Ludwig grabbed Rattata's face and the purple rat prepared himself for another Smog attack. However, Ludwig instead thrust Rattata up and towards its flame; it wasn't like a Flamethrower but the burning embers did hurt the rat Pokémon.

"Ludwig," Remus continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "can't use its Ghost moves, but it knows three other attacks: a Smog attack, Will-O-Wisp, and Ember. Neither know any moves that would allow them to dodge an attack or cause their opponent to miss, so this becomes a blow-by-blow battle."

"So doesn't that mean my dad will win?" Ron pressed. "I mean, Harry's my mate, but even he has to see this is all over. Ludwig is barely able to stand."

"You'd think that..." Remus said with a smirk. "But you are forgetting one thing, Ron."

"And what's that?"

Harry ended up answering Ron's question. "Ludwig, come here!" The ghost Pokémon floated over to him and Harry pulled out a small purple bottle. "I'm using my one Potion now." Percy nodded in acceptance and Ludwig let out a soft moan of delight as the potion filled his belly. The little bite marks still covered his waxy body but his strength and resilience returned with a vigor. The candle Pokémon floated back onto the field, ready for Rattata who delivered another quick bite attack. Ludwig responded with another Ember attack and Rattata stumbled back.

"Ok, so Ludwig is healed up," Ron said. "But my dad's Rattata is still stronger than it with those Bite attacks."

"Yes, and if this fight were to last long enough, he'd win. But you are forgetting something."

"What?" Ron asked.

"The burn," Ginny said quietly from her spot behind her mother.

Remus smiled. "Exactly. Ludwig burned Rattata and now every time he attacks he is weakening. Harry didn't go for a fast victory… he went the sneaky way and used Will-O-Wisp and Smog to chip away at Rattata's energy." Remus shook his head in amusement. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in Slytherin."

"Bite, Rattata!" Arthur called out. The burns Ludwig's Will-O-Wisp had delivered were too much for him though, and Rattata fell down with a thwump, out cold.

"Good work, Rattata," Arthur said, recalling his Pokémon.

"Harry Potter wins," Percy said. Harry let out a whoop before remembering himself and walking over to Arthur. "Good battle, Mr. Weasley," he said, one hand held out to shake the older man's. He blushed a little. "Sorry about the 'woohoo'."

"No need to be embarrassed about celebrating, Harry," Arthur said with a laugh, shaking the boy's hand. "You have every right to be thrilled. If this were a real gym battle I'd be handing you the Standard Badge and a TM. That was a clever strategy and it worked out in your favor. Trust me, you did well and earned the right to celebrate."

"Still, it is very good that you remembered to thank your opponent," Remus said, stepping towards and clasping the boy's shoulder. He gave it a firm squeeze, letting Harry silently know how proud he was. "There are many trainers I know that forget that while we call them 'battles' these challenges are rarely about anything more than testing ourselves. Thanking an opponent is the first step towards honoring them and their Pokémon and forging a bond of friendship."

"Toki!" Togepi exclaimed, squirming in Remus' arms. Letting her down, Remus watched as Togepi first toddled over to Harry and hugged his ankle before going over to Ludwig, letting out a soft coo as she looked upon the bite marks that still covered his form. "Toki toki priiii!" she declared, looking at Harry and stomping her little foot. The boy couldn't help but laugh as he stooped down and scooped both of his Pokémon up.

"Alright, we'll get him to a Pokecenter to heal all his injuries and make him look good as new."

"Toki," Togepi said, nodding her head in agreement.

"Ron, why don't you go with Harry and show him around," Arthur said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some pokedollars. "Get yourselves some lunch too." He turned to Molly, who looked ready to protest. "It's a special occasion and they will still be back in time for the big birthday supper you are cooking up. Percy and I will be busy with trainers anyway."

Molly consented; she might not like the idea but she couldn't argue its validity. "Yes, and Fred and George," she whipped around and wagged a finger at the twins, "you two will be giving the Raticates their baths."

"But mum!" Fred whined.

"Don't 'but mum' me, young man! I know it was you two that switched out the waiting room chair pads with whoopie cushions."

George elbowed his brother. "I told you she'd figure out."

"Remus, why don't you, Ginny and I go upstairs and have a cup of tea. Maybe you can tell Ginny a few of her favorite stories."

Ginny, who had looked a little put off that Harry was leaving the gym so soon, perked up at the promise of stories.

"That sounds lovely, Molly." Remus squeezed Harry's shoulder one more time. "Alright Harry, I won't patronize you and tell you to behave because I was a boy too." Harry chuckled, wondering what 11 year old Remus, the boy who would help found The Marauders, would say to seeing his adult self telling someone to stay out of trouble and not cause any mischief. "All I ask is that you be smart about it, don't get in over your head, and call me on your dex the moment you are in trouble."

"I will Remus," Harry said with a nodded, waving to everyone one last time before hurrying over to the teleporter pad and warping back to the waiting room.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Ron, can I ask you a question?"

"I think ya just did, mate."

Harry rolled his eyes at the poor joke and took another bite of his sandwich. After going to the Pokécenter and getting Ludwig healed up (and having Togepi and Eevee checked over for safety's sake) Ron had taken Harry to a little sandwich cart near the edge of town and ordered them each an overflowing beef and cheddar sandwich. He'd explained that only people in town knew about the cart and thus there was never a wait and the price was better than the food peddlers on Main Street that were selling to trainers heading to the gym and families visiting on vacation. Harry, remembering the lines he had seen on their way down Main Street, was thankful he had a 'townie' helping him out; he'd have been waiting all day for a sandwich that cost 5x as much as the one Ron had gotten each of them.

They'd eaten on the go, walking around the town as Ron served as tour guide. The red head pointed out all his favorite spots and told Harry stories about the wild times he had had. They'd spend 30 minutes looking around the Tor Town Tauros' Gift Shop and Harry had used some of the birthday money Remus had given him to purchase items for his Pokémon (luckily for him the Tauros' colors were red and black, so many of the items would work for Gryffindor as well). Eevee had been thrilled when Harry presented him with a scarf that matched Harry's Gauntlet jacket, admiring himself in the store's mirror for a good 3 minutes. Ludwig had nodded in approval at the corded belt he'd gotten and Harry promised to get some medallions (a Gryffindor one from the Hogwart's School Store was already on Harry's list) to put on the ends. Togepi hadn't let go of the little red pom-pom's Harry had found and Ron was already promising the baby Pokémon that he would hold her during matches so she could cheer for her trainer.

After that Ron had led Harry into a clearing just outside of town where the grass was short and the only wild Pokémon were a few Caterpies and a few Cottonees that were drifting by, caught in the gentle breeze. The boys were sitting under the shade of a large maple tree, enjoying the last few bites of their meal while their Pokémon scampered about, having already had their fill at the Pokécenter. Scabbers had, upon leaving his ball, scurried off away from the boys; Ron had assured Harry he'd turn up soon or later. The summer had done little to improve their relationship and Ron had admitted to Harry that he'd most likely return the Raticate to his father at some point, once he had caught enough Pokémon of his own.

Not that it mattered to Ron. Cubchoo and him and become the best of pals to the point that most people just assumed that the ice cub was his starter.

Cubchoo was currently earning Eevee's eternal friendship by using his Powder Snow attack to cool the area around the tree and relieve them all of the heat that was baking Tor Town. The ice-type sniffed, rubbing his wet nose before reaching up and adjusting the Tor Tauros cap Harry had bought him. Ron had argued with Harry that it was his birthday and that Ron should be buying him gifts. Harry had merely smiled and reminded Ron that he still owed him a back Winter Solstice present and that it wouldn't be fair to Cubchoo to not get something either.

"Seriously, what's your question, Harry?" Ron asked.

The bespectacled boy shifted uneasily. "I don't want this to come off as rude... but why is your sister... uh..."

"Acting like a baby one minute and a clingy stalker the next?" Ron asked bluntly. He chuckled at the blush that rose up on Harry's cheeks, alerting the red head that he had hit the nail dead on. "Don't worry, mate, she isn't crushing on you."

Harry blinked. "That wasn't even my first thought, Ron."

"Liar," the boy teased. "Ginny is interested in you but not you you."

"I don't follow."

"You know how your mum is a big deal in Avalon?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron, they had Pokedolls shaped like her in that gift shop... trust me, I figured that much out."

"Right. Anyway, a few years back this lady, Rowl-something or other, realized there was a market for Lily Potter stories and began cranking out books."

Harry gave Ron a dry look. "You're joking."

"Wise I was, mate. 'The Young Lily Evans Adventures' series is all the rage with girls Ginny's age. Your da features in 'em too, along with Mr. Lupin and the rest of the Marauders… but they are mostly her sidekicks." Ron shrugged. "Mum and dad read them to her when she was younger and she loves them. They aren't too bad… they are mystery stories, so that's cool, but a bit too girly for me."

Harry hung his head in defeat. "So, not only does your sister idolize my mother and thus me... half of the incoming first years are going to as well?"

"Well, not the Slytherins," Ron offered with a shrug.

"That does little to help my depression, Ron."

Ron lightly slugged Harry's shoulder. "Best not to dwell on it right now; all that is Future Harry's problem. Right now we are going to enjoy our afternoon, have a huge dinner, then in the morning head over to Galahad to meet up with Neville and Hermione and get our school supplies."

Harry grinned at that. "That will be cool. No offense to Hagrid but it was kinda hard to enjoy Galahad when he was rushing about."

"Well, in his defense, he was trying to protect a legendary pokeball." Ron reached into his pack and grabbed two pre-wrapped Tor Fudge & Cream rolls. He tossed one to Harry before ripping the plastic off his. "This is the life, ain't it mate?"

"The best," Harry admitted, watching as Eevee, Cubchoo, Ludwig and Togepi played. "May it never end."

"You do realize ya just cursed us, right mate?"

"I did-"

BOOM!

The boys looked up at the clear sky. "Was… was that thunder?" Ron said nervously. "Ominous, foreboding-"

"Plusle!"

"Minun!"

Ron and Harry glared at Fred and George's Pokémon. The two electric types merely laughed at their ability to scare the boys before scampering away.

They waited a moment before bursting into laughter as well.

* * *

Author's Notes: First, about this chapter. I was in quite a pickle when I came to this battle. I knew if I did it wrong, one of the characters would come off as weak. If Harry won to easily, Arthur would be a joke, but if Harry didn't win what would be, in a game, the first gym, then he would come off as weak. I first had it where Harry won, then Arthur brought out his Thunder Raticate for a second battle. This Raticate would destroy Ludwig and Togepi would use Metronome to perform Roar of Time, beating Raticate and causing the others to remark that they should always let Togepi win.

The second idea was to have both pokemon faint and thus we end up with a tie. I didn't like this answer so I finally went with the idea that Harry won not out of brute strength but with strategy.

Now then, the items. I LOVE items in the Pokemon games and wish there were more of them. Heck, i wish you could see that your Pokemon was actually wearing the Mystic Water pendant of the Dark Sunglasses when you sent them out... I know they can't, due to file sizes, but still. I know most competitive players use only Leftovers but I love the elemental items a lot. Thus, expect to see a lot of the main characters' Pokemon end up with items, to help separate them from other Pokemon. I won't be mentioning them having effects, so don't worry about that; they are mostly cosmetic. Still, if they did have effects, they would be...

**Crimson Scarf-** Boosts the evasion of a Pokémon

**Braided Belt-** Allows a Pokémon to hold two more items. Commonly used with the Avalon exclusive **Medallions**, which can be attached to the belts ends to strength different type-attacks.

**Crimson Pom Poms-** When held by a Pokémon in one's team all other Pokémon the trainer owns have their Defense boosted (so, for example, if Togepi has the pom poms, Eeevee, during a battle, would get a defense boost).

**Tauros Hat**- If a trainer wears a duplicate hat, this increases the Friendship between the trainer and his Pokémon.

Finally, I want to take a moment and discuss the latest reveals for X and Y. Spoilers, of course.

I AM FINALLY GETTING MY T-REX FOSSIL POKEMON! I WILL CALL HIM GRANT AND HE WILL BE AWESOME AND HE WILL EAT YOUR FACE!

Ahem. Yes, I love fossil pokemon, but mostly the ones based on Dinosaurs. Cranidos and Shieldon are two of my favorites and now I will have a T-Rex. I really hope, much like in Generation V, there will be a way to get all the fossils, otherwise I will have to breed a second rex in order to get the Brachio fossil. Now she is also VERY cool and will be named Ellie when i get her. I really like her because of her ability, Freeze Body, which turns Normal Attacks into Ice Attacks and then powers them up so she gets a STAB. This is such a brilliant ability and I hope we get more Pokemon that have the ability to turn Normal Moves into Elementals.

I also like the idea that you can customize your Trainer. I hope there are enough variations to let you make a character look close to your own looks.

Finally, unless his final evolution is really terrible, I am so getting Froakie as my starter. This will mark the 4th time I've gotten a water type as a starter (it has gone Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Mudkip, I skipped the next gen but would have either gotten Piplup or Turtwig, and Oshawott.)


	5. Lord of the House of Malfoy

"Harry!"

Hermione ran full force, legs pumping as she rushed towards her friend and nearly bowled him over with the force of her hug. Neville, for his part, walked over at a more leasurely pace, shaking hands with Ron while Hermione untangled herself from Harry. The bushy-haired girl blinked, realize she'd just rather publically hugged a boy (and one of the most famous boys in Avalon at that) and suddenly developed a case of the blushes that rivaled Ginny's.

"Good to see you too, Hermione," Harry said, rubbing his sore ribs. He mentally wondered what it was with females and giving bone-crushing hugs.

"How has your summer been?" Neville asked.

"The best ever," Harry said with a grin, not exaggerating in the slightest.

Hermione smiled, though her eyes flickered slightly. "I'm just glad you don't have to see your aunt and uncle ever again." Though he hadn't told them much about his childhood, his friends had been able to piece enough together to figure out that Harry had not come from the most loving of homes. Hermione had obviously been the most aghast at the situation and Harry had caught some of the looks she made when he mentioned his Aunt and Uncle. "Has Mr. Lupin been teaching you a lot?"

"I have," Remus said, walking over towards the four, "but please, call me Remus."

"Because Mr. Lupin is your father?" Ron asked with a smirk.

"That's true, but mostly because I have enough young trainers putting on airs because of my job... I don't want any of you to feel you need to treat me special."

Hermione chewed on her lip, not liking the thought of acting so casual around an adult; her parents had raised her to respect her elders and Remus' attitude flew in the face of those lessons. More troubling, however, was that they had also taught her to listen to adults and honor their wishes. It was a catch-22 and that left her, for once, befuddled.

"What's wrong with Flora?" Harry asked, kneeling down to get a better look at Neville's partner. Flora would occasionally grit her teeth and her leaves would curl at the ends. The bulb of her back was producing a sweet smell similar to fresh strawberries and the poor Pokémon kept wiggling about like she was suddenly rather itchy.

"She's getting ready to evolve, isn't see?" Remus said, reaching into his pack and bringing out a small orange bottle. "May I, Neville?"

"Go ahead, sir," Neville said. Remus squatted down and let Flora inspect the bottle before screwing off the top. The Bulbasaur darted forward and began to slurp up the medicine within, her leaves returning to normal and the tremors that had been running through her body reduced to almost nothing. "What was that?!" Neville said in delight, reaching down and picking up his friend. He'd been so frightened for her since the symptoms had begun 2 weeks earlier and to see her all better was a relief.

"It helps ease evolution pains. In the wild Bulbasaurs would find a fresh plot of dirt and bury their bodies under the soil with only their bulb peaking out. They would then fall asleep and let the sun ease them into evolving. Because Flora is more activate, this pain reliever will help her out."

"How close is she to evolving?" Ron asked.

"Hard to tell with a lot of Pokémon," Remus said, waving over Arthur. The rest the Weasleys had given the four friends space to catch up but Remus knew that they needed to get to Diagon's Alley soon if they wanted to avoid the mid-day rush. "Reuniclus' evolutions were pretty difficult and took a long time due to the amount of changes he went through. But my friend Sirius' Piplup had no problems at all both times he evolved. A Pokémon's bond with its trainer, its strength, how quick or slowly its taken for it to evolve, the complexity of the transformation... all of these affect evolution."

"Remus is right," Arthur said, joining the group. "It's hard to tell even in the same family of Pokémon. Ron, you remember the last breeding pair we evolved?"

Ron nodded. "Oh yeah! The male had a heck of a time evolving... he was grouchy and would snip at you. But the female... she just kinda rolled over one day and boom! Instant evolution!"

"Maybe one of you will decide to research Pokémon evolution after you get out of Hogwarts," Remus said.

Neville shook his head. "Hermione or Harry or Ron might, but I already know what is in store for me." The group began to make their way towards Diagon Alley's entrance. It was early in the day and the crush of visitors had not yet made it unbearable to get to the row of shops that specialized in Hogwarts students and their needs. It also helped that the group was shopping early, as most people waited until the second to last week of August to do their shopping. "The Longbottoms have been running the Lucan City Gym for centuries and Longbottom Gardens for even longer. My gran has been watching it for me but Flora and I are going to be training junior gym leaders and working green houses the moment I get out of Hogwarts."

Ron shook his head. "Count me out too. I don't think I could handle being cooped up in a library all day thumbing through old books."

"Then what do you want to do?" Harry asked as they entered Madam Malkin's Gear For All Environments, Molly and Ginny on their heels. The twins and Percy were old enough to handle things on their own and even Fred and George knew better than to pull pranks in Diagon Alley; the Jennys were always out in full force in this section of town, making sure children were safe as they did their school shopping. They didn't put up with nonsense and letting off a firecracker or trying to rig up a prank would result in a stern glare from one of the blue-haired women.

Ron shrugged as he looked over some of the latest trainer jackets; he didn't have enough money to afford one but he was saving up and hoped to be able to buy a brand new one by his fourth year. It would be a social disaster to be a 4th Year and still be wearing 1st Year White. Most of his classmates would already be getting jackets in their house colors by the end of second year. "I honestly don't know. Isn't that why we are Hogwarts in the first place?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she tried on a new cap. "That's a rather mature response, Ron." The boy debated if he should be pleased by the compliment or annoyed that Hermione seemed so surprised that he made it. "As for me," Hermione said, tossing the cap aside and moving to some hair bands, "I'm in the same boat as Ron. My parents never went to Hogwarts and are doing real fine. But I don't want to spend seven years learning everything only to pick a job I could have gotten if I had just gone to a normal school. That would be a waste."

"Oh, it wouldn't be a waste," Molly said. She was standing with Madam Malkin who was measuring Ginny for her new jacket. "You could know exactly what you want to do in life and then suddenly find yourself on a new path." She shook her head when Malkin mumbled something about a tighter cut, clearly not liking the idea of her little girl wearing a skin-tight jacket. "I was going to be like my sisters and go into Pokémon medicine until I met your father. Scoff all you will and say that I wasted my education, but I think I've done just as much good volunteering at our local Pokécenter and dealing with scraped knees. What you learn can always be put into use, no matter what you decide to do."

Harry accepted the wisdom in Mrs. Weasley's words. Much like Ron and Hermione he didn't know what he wanted to do. He'd only been a part of the Pokémon world for a year and it still presented him with wonders and sights that he would have thought impossible when he was growing up on Little Surrey. He'd ridden on the back of a sea monster and not only found out that ghosts were real... he had one now as a partner. Every lesson, even Snape's rather difficult ones, presented something new for him to learn and Harry soaked it up like a sponge.

What he knew for certain was that whatever he did, it would involve working with Pokémon closely. Maybe he'd pursue a career as an official Gauntlet player. Perhaps he would become a Pokémon breeder and help young trainers find their perfect starter. Heck, he could even end up Headmaster of Hogwarts! It really didn't matter at this point to the boy... as long as Eevee, Ludwig and Togepi were with him, Harry would be happy.

"Kids, why don't you go next door to Poké Emporium and see about getting some treats for your Pokémon," Remus said. "Arthur and I need to discuss some things and I am sure Ginny will be a while getting her jacket measured."

Since the four friends weren't in any need of new jackets or hats Remus' suggestion was seen as quite a good one. Ron and Harry led the charge out of the store with Neville and Hermione close behind... though at a calmly pace.

"Maybe I should pick up more of that potion Mr. Lupin gave Flora," Neville said as they entered the store. He ran his hand along his Bulbasaur's back, the Pokémon letting out a squawk of delight.

"I'm sure Remus give you what you need," Harry said, inspecting a Ghost Light that was said to be popular among ghost-trainers. A glance at the price tag changed his mind; he had some spending money but he wasn't about to blow all of it on one major purchase.

"They have Evolution Stones," Hermione said, looking at the case near the back. It was filled with small polished stones of varying shades and shapes resting on soft white pillows. To someone not familiar with Pokémon they might have appeared to be precious gems that were awaiting their time under the diamond knife so they could be fashioned to fit rings and necklaces. The four Hogwarts students knew better; while some very wealthy trainers did turn the stones into jewelry, most used them for the strange radiation they gave off that allowed certain Pokemon to evolve.

"Sweet," Ron said, pressing his nose to the glass. "I should get one and use it on Cubchoo! Imagine it... a fire-ice super bear!"

"Cubchoos aren't effected by evolution stones," Hermione said with a dismissive sniff. "Their DNA is completely stable and thus can't be mutated by the stone's radiation."

Neville nodded his head, moving along to a small bin full of clear orbs that contained different mushrooms and seeds that could help strength plant-types. "We have a few sunstones and leaf stones at our gym... but I don't think anyone in the family's used one since my granddad was a little boy."

"Maybe you should stock up on some, Harry," Hermione said.

"Why?" Harry said in confusion.

Hermione frowned. "Because all your Pokémon can evolve with use of a stone." At Harry's blank look Hermione sighed. "Ludwig will evolve into a Lampert and if you use a Dusk Stone on him, he can reach his final form: Chandelure. Same with Togepi; she'll evolve into a Togetic when she feels utterly safe and secure with you and if you give her a Shiny Stone she will be able to evolve into a Togekiss."

"Oh, I knew that," Harry said, waving his hand at Hermione. "I just meant I don't see why I should stock up now. It could take Ludwig 4 more years to evolve and who knows when Togepi will. Even if they both evolved tomorrow, it wouldn't be right to force them to change again right away. It should be their choice."

"What about Eevee?" Ron asked, reaching into a small minifridge that sat near the back of the store. "You decided what-EOWWWW!"

Mr. Tolmon, the shop owner, glared at Ron. "Can't you read the sign? Nevermeltice: DO NOT TOUCH! You're lucky you didn't freeze your fingers off!"

Ron looked at the small block of blue ice that had given him freezer burn. "And you give that to Pokemon? Eeesh, no thanks! Cubchoo will stick with his Tauros hat, thank you!"

"Have you thought about it, Harry?" Neville asked, selecting a large green and red seed from the bin and checking his dex to make sure he had enough on him to purchase it.

"Thought about what?" Harry asked as he snagged a box of treats from a shelf. The back of it claimed all Pokémon would love them and he figured that they would work well as a reward for his team.

Hermione tapped her chin, debating between several different focus items. She'd already picked out a nice Ice Crystal for Snorunt and now wanted something for Ralts to use to help focus her power. "About what you want Eevee to evolve into. You probably have it the hardest of any trainer. Twisted Spoon or Moon Mirror?"

"Moon Mirror," Ron said. "It is always weird to see any Pokemon other than a Kadabra or an Alakazam with a Twisted Spoon."

Harry scratched his chin as Mr. Tolmon bagged up his treats. "I honestly don't know, Hermione. I mean, I haven't had Eevee that long and when he evolves that's it... he's stuck with that form. I'd hate to evolve him and then realize a day later that I'd made a mistake." Harry took out Eevee's pokéball and released the brown and white Pokémon, kneeling down and scratching the little guy between the ears. "Besides, I think you should have a say in the matter, right buddy? It is your body that is being altered."

"Eevee!" the Pokémon declared happily.

"Pffft. Leave it to you Potter to let your Pokémon lead you around."

Harry slowly turned, his eyes narrowing. "Draco."

The blond haired Slytherin stood just a few feet behind the group, his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised as if he were questioning the entire world. He was wearing a brand new purple trainer jacket with black trim around the edges and cuffs, each button bearing the embossed image of a Arbok upon it. His hair was slicked back to the point that not a single stray hair could ever hope to escape. He presented the picture of a trainer with money and power... and one who had never seen a hard day's work or a moment without comfort.

"Tell me, Potter, who goes to sleep in that little ball at night, you or the Eevee? I honestly can't tell."

"Piss off, Malfoy," Ron said with a huff.

"Who's gonna make me, Weasley?" Draco took a step forward, a cocky smile growing on his lips. "You? You think you can beat me? You can't even control that little rat of yours... what makes you think you can face me down?"

Hermione stepped between Ron and Draco, physically separating the two. "Knock it off, both of you. "

"Get your hands off me, Granger. This jacket costs more than your worthless parents probably make in a year." He leaned in, a sneer on his face. "Or maybe they could afford it... I hear your kind sells their daughters off all the time to make a bit of extra-"

Hermione's fist lashed out, catching Draco in the nose. There was a satisfying pop and Draco was stumbling back, his hand cupping his face as blood gushed down onto his shirt.

"You... you bitch! I'll see your family run out of this region!" Draco screamed.

"Draco," a smooth, silky voice said, causing everyone in the shop to freeze. Draco's pain was forgotten as he slowly turned around, his body ramrod straight as he watched the newest arrival stroll towards him.

The man in many ways reminded Harry of Draco. He had the same whitish blond hair, though he kept his quite long and didn't bother to gel it; it was as if he expected his hair to obey him as all others did. He had the same proud bearing and sharp features as Draco... but there was a stillness to him that Draco lacked. The boy, for all his crowing about being a true Slytherin, lacked the caution and cunning that marked members of that house apart from all others. He was rash and brash and ready with a boast as a moment's notice.

Not this man. No, Harry could tell the moment he saw him that this was a man who lived his entire life calculating every interaction and weighing the pros and cons of any move he made. He had an almost feline-like way about him… an aloofness that hid the heart of an apex predator.

While Draco was dressed in clothing that was just as proud as he was, the tall man before the children had chosen garments that, while utterly elegant, were also practical and allowed him to blend him. From his crisp black suit jacket to his thin dark tie, all the way to the tips of his buffed shoes...everything he wore would be at home at both the highest of society functions and among the lowly office workers that toiled away.

The only piece of obvious splendor he allowed himself was his cane. He had no need for it, for his strides were long and strong. No, this cane, with its ultra ball head and gleaming silver tip were designed to remind all that looked upon him who he was.

And who else could he be but Lucius Malfoy, Leader of the Dagonet City Gym?

"Are you ok, my dear boy?" Lucius asked. Though his words were sweet there was nothing in his tone that could be classed as 'caring'. Once more the similarities between Lucius and a cat were present to Harry; the way Lucius spoke reminded the boy of a Meowth's purr before it gobbled up a Rattata. "It seems you've broken your own nose."

"I did no such thing, father!" Draco screeched. "It was that filthy new blood girl!"

Lucius glanced at Hermione and the girl shrank back from his penetrating stare. "Well, if that is the case then I will bring the full might of the Malfoy family upon her. I will see her family's business shut down, their home taken from them, and all their wealth added to our coffers." Harry glared at the man who threatened his friend, an insult on the tip of his tongue, only to grow silent at Lucius' next words. "Of course, before I can do that, I will be forced to examine you and your... standing."

"Father?" Draco asked, lowering his blood-soaked hands from his face.

"How could I not? You are Draco Malfoy... the future head of the Dagonet City Gym, heir to the House of Malfoy. You are the prince of Slytherin-" the way Lucius accented that title made it clear to even Ron he was mocking the boy, "-and, by your own words the greatest of Hogwart's students. And yet... and yet you stand here and claim that you foolishly provoked this girl, mocking her in public with a room full of witnesses with no plan or strategy... and then, instead of handling her yourself you allow her to strike you and do nothing more than whine?" Lucius shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Can you not see that the two personas I paint do not match? I refuse to have a foolish, stupid boy be my heir... so I ask you now..." Lucius leaned down towards his son, his dark eyes gleaming with a cold fire, "what... happened?"

Draco seemed to shrivel like a raisin in the desert, his shoulders slumping and crimson-stained hands flopping to his sides. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I bumped into a shelf, father."

"My poor Draco. We will have your nose looked at by a doctor... and your mother will take you shopping for new clothes later this week." Lucius turned and pointed his cane at the four children. "Thank you for not mocking Draco about this."

"O-of course, Mr. Malfoy," Neville said. Of all the kids he alone had spent a good amount of time around the Gym Leader and was use to his ways. "And thank you."

Lucius glanced over at Harry, who, despite all that had happened, was still glaring at the older man for his veiled threats against Hermione. Lucius flinched a little when he looked upon those green eyes burning with outrage and quickly tapped down the feeling behind a veneer of aloofness.

"Lily Potter's heir," he whispered more to himself than the children. "Of all the wonders-"

"Kids!" Arthur Weasley called out, hurrying over to them, his face red and cheeks puffed out as he drew in deep gulps of air. "I know you are having fun but we need to... Lucius."

"Arthur," Lucius said with the slightest tilt of his head. He looked at the man's worn polo shirt and khakis with frayed ends and sighed. "You do realize you are representing all gym leaders when you walk about? We must present an image of respect and strength when out and about."

Arthur squared his shoulders. "Oh, I know, Lucius... you and I just have different interpretations of respectable."

"Hmmm," Lucius rumbled, his hand clamping down upon Draco's shoulder and guiding his blood-splattered son away. "History will tell which of us is right."

"History is written by the winners," Arthur reminded him.

Lucius merely smiled. "We also have different definitions of 'winning'." With that he was gone, leaving the rest of the store bumbling about as if broken from a trance.

Arthur shook his head, gazing upon the four. "Do I even want to know?"

Ron, with Lucius now gone, was bouncing up and down with delight. "Draco said some nasty things to Hermione and she popped him in that pointy nose of him! Was bloody brilliant!"

"Ron," his father warned.

"I mean... it was brilliant."

Hermione was staring at her hand as if it belonged to someone else. She rolled her fingers and watched as the bones beneath her skin wiggled as she flexed her thumb about. She looked at her hand and wondered if it was some strange new thing that she had never noticed before.

"You ok, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I... I've never hit anyone before," she whispered slowly. "I... I kinda liked it."

Arthur shook his head. "Well, don't make a habit of it," the red head said. "Especially Draco. Lucius might appear nice but he is one of the most vicious trainers in Avalon. People that upset him tend to end up with heaps of trouble... and no way to prove he had anything to do with it."

"So... everything he said about my parents?" Hermione whispered.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Arthur said distractedly. "Come on, we still need to get you kids your dex upgrades."

Harry trialed behind the others, the words Arthur Weasley HADN'T said echoing in his ears.

Don't worry about what Lucius says he will do... worry about the things he doesn't talk about.

* * *

Author's Notes: Alright, so we have a ton to talk about and I hope this chapter generates a lot more feedback than the last few have (not that the feedback I've gotten so far hasn't been wonderful).

First, you may have noticed that I didn't have Lockhart in here. Originally he was, but as I wrote more and more of the chapter I realized that including him here would be too much info for one chapter. And with me shifting him to next chapter, it actually helps set up some different things.

I decided to make Evolution not a smooth process. Why would it be, in reality? A butterfly's metamorphosis isn't easy… why would a Bulbasaurs?

And now we have confirmation of what Sirius' starting pokmeon was: A Piplup. I debated a LONG time about what Pokémon the Blacks would raise but, in the end, I could not think of any Pokémon better to convey the dark power and regal bearing of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.

Lucius Malfoy. As I have stated before, I have not read the books or seen the movies. I have read a ton of fan fics, read the plot breakdowns, but I am coming into this fresh when it comes to designing characters. In Lucius I wanted to create the most smooth, calm villain you could ever see. I wanted him to be Lex Luthor-like, in that he doesn't need to punch you… he can destroy you with just a few words and a few bribes and you don't even realize he did it. As such, I have based my Lucius on Bennedict Cumberbatch and his take on Khan… someone that knows the power of stillness and who can look at you with utter distain.

Next chapter will introduce a fan favorite Harry Potter character... one who didn't get a lot of screen time until the 5th book or so. Now she is going to be one of our main supporting players.


	6. The Rooster and the Serpent

Author's Note: A HUGE thanks to everyone that reviewed... I am shocked by the positive response I got! I hope to get just as big of a response this chapter!

* * *

The rest of Harry's summer flew by and before he knew it the day had finally come: the boarding of the Hogwarts Express. As Remus and him recovered from Reuniclus' teleportation Harry was struck with an emotion he had never once felt before: homesickness. He hadn't even left Remus yet and already his heart felt like it was caught in a vice and his eyes stung with tears. A thousand 'hows' ran through his head: how could he leave now? How could he know that Remus would be waiting for him? How could he risk this new life he had gained?

Sensing his discomfort Remus pulled Harry aside and grabbed his shoulders and forced the boy to look at him. Remus was not a cold man but he wasn't a mushy, lovely dovey type either. Remus preferred to convey his feelings through simple gestures; a pat on the back here, a tussling of the hair there. The man wasn't one to resort to Molly Weasley-style crusher hugs.

Which is why Harry was so startled when Remus wrapped his arms around the 12 year old and held him tight.

"You know how hard it was for me to get up his morning knowing it would be the last time you and I would have breakfast together until Winter break?" Remus pulled away slightly, though he kept his hands firmly clasped on his charge's shoulders. "I understand now why my father cried the first time he sent me off to Hogwarts. It is a horrible and wonderful feeling... horrible because you are sending someone you love off without you... and wonderful because you know doing so means they are growing up and you are doing things right." Remus locked eyes with Harry, who was no longer fighting the tears that were dripping from his eyes. "I want you to right now banish any worries about you and me. You going to Hogwarts won't make me change my mind or decide I don't want you anymore. You're stuck with me, Harry, and I with you... and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry threw his arms around Remus' neck and gave him another hug.

The two of them finally broke apart and, after an awkward moment filled with nervous chuckling that all men experience when they stumble into an emotional moment, they began to make their way towards the Hogwarts Express. This year Harry was in less of a hurry (as he wasn't running late due to Hagrid getting distracted by all the sights of Diagon Alley) and thus could actually look around and take in the grand station. There were many different stores set up along the sides of the terminal, offering anything a trainer might need but forget to pack. There was a potions store and a Pokécenter Express and a little souvenir shop that sold Galahad-themed items for both Pokémon and their trainers. There were at least 6 different fast food places, offering up everything from burgers to pizza to pretzels to big cookies. Businessmen and trainers and Hogwarts students mingled together, digging into their wallets and whipping out their dexs as they made last minute purchases before jumping onto their trains.

"Neville!" Harry called out, waving to his friend. Neville and Flora were standing a few yards away from a crush of Hogwarts students who'd mobbed in front of a book store. "What's going on?"

Neville sighed, glancing at the crowd. "Hermione and I met up early and were just about to board the express when she heard about this and dragged me over here." He gestured towards Hermione's bag, which Flora was sitting on, acting as a guard. "I'm watching her stuff."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he heard several girls from the mob let out squeals that left him with a headache. "Hermione is a part of that?" He glanced back and Neville, then the mob, then Neville again, only to cringe as another chorus of screams filled the air. "I suppose Ron is off having tea with Prof. Snape? Percy Weasley is pranking some girls perhaps?"

Neville nodded. "I don't get it either but honestly... have you ever tried to stop Hermione when she gets it in her head to do something?"

Harry shuddered. "I get your point."

Neville tilted his head. "I don't remember you being so snarky…"

"I'm rubbing off on him," Remus said. "What is going on over there?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart is doing a signing," Neville said.

"Who?" Harry asked.

Remus clicked his teeth together. "Lockhart... if you believe his own press releases... is the world's greatest Pokémon Tracker. He'd have you thinking that Jack Kenway and Alder of Unova come to his for advice. He's written books about his quests to uncover Pokémon that were only spoken of in legend. For the most part he seems on the level... I read one of his early works, 'Hunting for Ho-Oh', and it was pretty good and actually matched up well with what scientists suspect about the fire bird. But recently he's..." Remus stroked his mustache, "... he's gone a bit too much in the way of the extreme for my tastes. It's one thing to say you spotted a Keldeo... another to say that you battled a Pikablu."

"You think he's a fake?" Harry asked.

"No, not fake. A magazine once tested some of his photos of a Zapados he claimed to have found in the mountains of Kanto and the experts said they were genuine; no photoshop, no digital altering. He really does see the Pokémon... I just wonder how much of the rest of his work is factual."

The crowd let out a roar as the man of the hour stepped out of the bookstore to greet them. People could claim many things about Gilderoy Lockhart but they could never say he didn't know how to make an entrance. The crowd seemed to part as if divided by his will alone, letting Harry, Neville and Remus get a good look at the man. He had poofy blond hair that appeared as if it was molded out of plastic; not a single strand fell out of place despite how much he moved about, kissing women on the cheek and waving to the girls that sighed and cooed his name. He had bright eyes and a smile that had more watts than any spotlight. He was wearing a tight gold jacket and khaki pants with all sorts of different little trinkets attached to his belt. Harry instantly was reminded of Draco, who tried to present a worldly quality to himself only to come off as fake.

"Hello, hello!" Lockhart called out to the students.

"I love you!" several girls screamed.

"Oh and I love each and every one of you!" Lockhart called out. "You know, I don't write my books, such as 'Travels with Tyranitar', 'Seeking Zapados' and 'Matching Wits with Mewtwo', for fame or glory. I write my books, like my newest one, 'Searching for Suicune', because of each and every one of you! You are my muses, my inspiration, and every time you call out my name, buy one of my books, on sale today at this very store by the way, and ask for my autograph... it pushes me to do oh so much more!"

"Ugh," Harry muttered.

Remus nodded in agreement. "If he were any more sugar-coated we'd all get diabetes."

"Now, I am afraid I will not be able to sign all your books..." Lockhart held up his hands in an attempt to placate the groaning girls. "Oh, I would love to spend time with each and every one of you..."

"In the wanker's van as he hands out free candy," Harry muttered, earning another strange look from Neville. Remus would have normally admonished Harry for such language but the fact that he felt the exact same way prevented him from doing so.

"But none of you need to fret too much... as you will be seeing enough of me... soon... enough..." Lockhart trailed off, his chin raised and eyes squinting as he craned his neck up to see over the crowd. The writer's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and he made a mad dash through the throng of fans, brushing off their pleas to take a moment to talk to them. Harry took a step back as the blond hurried over to him, his grin growing even bigger. "Harry Potter..."

"Yes, me Harry," the boy said, remembering an old film Remus and him had watched a few weeks ago about a man raised by Primeapes. "You Lockhart."

Gilderoy instantly was kneeling beside Harry, his arm wrapped around his shoulder as he directed himself towards the mob. Many of them had their dexes out and were snapping photos as Harry was squeezed by the man.

"Smile for the cameras, Harry... this is going to be on all the entertainment shows tonight!"

Harry squirmed a little then found himself being yanked free of Lockhart's grasp. He looked down at the vines that had encircled his waist and silently thanked Flora for stepping in. The boy turned to confront the strange man, only to find Remus was doing a fine enough job of it on his own.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Remus snarled, his hand wrapped around Lockhart's throat. People were use to Remus being calm and collected. He himself had admitted to Harry that of all the Marauders he was the one most likely to have spoken out against one of their plans, warning of the trouble they could have gotten in. It wasn't fear that drove him but a cunning mind that made some wonder if he shouldn't have been in Slytherin. He pushed for Sirius and James to think through their pranking plans and not act on their first impulse… which would usually involve buckets of paint and no escape route.

This level-headedness had served Remus well as a Gym evaluator; on a daily basis he dealt with Gym Leaders that were use to barking orders and being treated as big-shots. It was not uncommon for a Gym Leader he was observing to get in his face, screaming and sending spittle flying when he felt that Remus wasn't showing him the proper amount of respect that he or she was due. People had tried to bribe him, belittle him, threaten him and blackmail him into changing his ratings and giving them an edge. Every time this happened Remus would merely stand there, taking it all without showing a reaction, letting them get it out of their system before dropping the hammer upon them.

For that was the biggest misconception about Remus Lupin: everyone thought he never felt anger. They watched him endure abuse and just assumed he was passive. It was quite the opposite in fact. His bonding with Zorua had unleashed the spirit of the beast within him and he had long ago mastered the self control he needed to keep the creature buried deep.

But that didn't mean it wasn't there... that didn't mean it didn't growl.

Everyone grew silent as Remus held Gilderoy Lockhart in the air, his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back to reveal a sharp snarl. Harry was close enough to see that Remus' eyes had darkened and though Zorua was clearly visible standing next to Neville it was entirely possible that Remus would be able to transform without his partner.

"What the hell gives you the right to touch him? To use him? To treat him like a prop to bolster your career? What makes you think you could just walk up to him and treat him like another object to be posed in front of?" A blast of hot air shot from his flared nostrils and Remus drew Lockhart close. "Too many people have mistreated Harry… and it ends now. If you EVER touch the boy again I will know... and I will... break you."

And with that Remus let Gilderoy go, the writer crumpling on the floor while Harry's guardian slipped back into his normal calm persona. He adjusted his jacket, acting as if nothing had happened. But everyone else remembered and Galahad station went silent as Remus motioned for Hermione, who had edged up through the mob to watch Lockhart wrap his arm around Harry, to follow them. She grabbed her bags, all of them loaded down with books, and hurried after Remus, Harry, Neville, Flora and Zorua as they made their way through the station. None of them said a word as they marched towards the platform.

They had arrived at the platform with plenty of time to spare, thus allowing Harry to observe his classmates. The Weasleys had yet to arrive but Harry wasn't surprised; according to Remus the Weasleys running late was as much a Hogwarts tradition as the Sorting. Arthur had always been late and had told stories about his father and grandfather being late as well. Harry waved to Oliver Wood, who was proudly showing off a brilliant red and brown bird-Pokémon that was perched on his left arm.

"A Talonflame," Hermione supplied. "They originate from Kalos... pretty rare to see one in our region."

"Oliver's family went on a vacation to Kalos over the break," Harry said. "He was telling us how he wanted to observe the Kalos National Gauntlet Team's open workouts. They won the World Cup this last year."

Hermione gave a very un-Hermione-like grunt at the mention of the Gauntlet. She would cheer for Harry, of course, but otherwise the sport held almost no appeal to her… or, at least, not in the way it did for Ron and Harry and Oliver. She would never be a 'remember every player for every team' kind of a fan. "A Talonflame is a good fit for Oliver. Its fast and its ability to fly will give him the edge in some battles."

"And it will work well as his Gryffindor Pokémon," Remus said.

"Gryffindor Pokémon?" Neville asked.

"Another tradition at Hogwarts," Remus stated, pulling out a Pokéball. "Magcargo, I choose you!"

The children backed away in a hurry and Flora tried to burrow herself tighter against Neville's chest as the fire slug Pokémon appeared before them. An intense wave of heat almost instantly hit the three as the Magcargo looked around, clearly wondering why Remus had brought him out. Leaning down, Remus carefully patted the Pokémon on the shell; both because of the small puffs of fire that would erupt from the hardened rock and the fragile state of the shell.

"As you know, the four houses of Hogwarts are represented not just by a Pokémon but by a type: Hufflepuff are Water types, going with the flow and wearing down defenses. Slytherians are grass types, using every trick they have to win while appearing as if they are doing nothing. Ravenclaw are represented by dark types, as they are able to use their intelligence to trick their opponents. And Gryffindor is of course fire, which symbolizes our passion and burning desire to win." Giving Magcargo one last pat Remus recalled him. "It is an unofficial tradition that, before you graduate from Hogwarts you catch one Pokémon that is the same type as your house."

Neville nodded his head. "That makes sense... I always found it weird that my dad..." The boy trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Remus, thankfully, saw the pain that flashed across Neville's face and quickly continued before Harry or Hermione could notice. "Some, like myself, wait till the end of our time at Hogwarts to catch our House Pokémon. I got Magcargo here when I was made Head Boy and could surf over to Burnt Island. Caught him as a Slugma and raised him up. Others catch their Pokémon as soon as possible. My friend Sirius caught his Houndour during his second year."

"And some of us get our House Pokémon before we even step foot in Hogwarts," Draco said with a sneer, his father just a step behind him. The head of the Malfoy family was holding a small bag from the same bookstore Gilderoy had been at and he set it down next to Hermione's bags before straightening up and locking eyes with Remus.

For his part Remus nodded politely to Lucius. While some would have expected Remus to be hostile towards the man rumored to be one of Lord Voldemort's most powerful lieutenants, Remus kept his calm and did not let his emotions get the best of him; there would be no repeated of his meeting with Lockhart.

_"There are some people in this world that respond to reason and logic," _Remus had told Harry the day after his trip to Diagon Alley and run-in with Lucius and Draco. _"You can explain your position to them and get them to understand where you are coming from and why you do the things you do. Then there are other people who only understand physical action."_

_"Like Draco?" _Harry had asked.

_"Like Draco. You could insult him or yell at him or give him a thousand reasons why he shouldn't do what he does and it wouldn't do anything in the end other than leave you breathless. I don't want you to think this is me giving you a license to bop him the next time he gets out of line..."_

Harry had nodded at that. As much as it might feel good to wallop Draco over the head with a textbook he understood that this would only get him in trouble.

_"There are other people, however, who feed off your reactions, both physical and vocal. They provoke you in hopes you will snap at them or try and take a swing. Lucius Malfoy is one of those people and let me tell you something, Harry... it can be downright infuriating." _Remus had leaned in a bit closer, his hands resting on his knees as he'd locked eyes with the boy. _"Do you know how you beat someone like that?"_

_"How?"_

_"By showing them you are better than them. You use their own games against them and you prove, either in a battle of wits or a battle with Pokémon, that you are their better. People like Lucius Malfoy will always believe they are better than us... until we prove them wrong."_

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," Harry said politely, remembering Remus' words. Neville and Hermione both sensed that something was up and wisely stayed quiet; Neville out of habit and Hermione out of fear of the thinly veiled threats Lucius had directed at her a month ago.

"Harry Potter," Lucius said calmly. "We meet again."

"Yes sir," Harry said with a nod. "Do you know my guardian, Remus?"

"Yes... we are quite well acquainted, aren't we Lupin?"

"Indeed, Malfoy," Remus said before sparing a glance down at Draco. "And you are quite correct, Draco... some trainers do get their House Pokémon _handed_ to them before they come to Hogwarts. No effort, no test of strength... just a gift."

Lucius didn't bat an eye at Remus' little barb, though he did grip his son's shoulder just a touch harder. Draco, for his part, seemed confused by Remus' words and couldn't decide if they were an insult or a compliment.

"Yes... if I remember right James got his House Pokémon before he even got his letter of acceptance... the same with all the Potters."

Remus' smile never faltered. "You are technically correct, though James did not receive his Cyndaquil like it was a birthday present. He had to chase down a whole little herd of them and try and snag one." He chuckled at the story. "Depends on who you ask but from what I can gather he must have spent 3 hours leaping into dry leaf piles before he finally managed to get his Cyndaquil and it wasn't much of a celebration afterwards, what with him having his hands covered in burn cream."

Draco scoffed. "You would never catch a Malfoy running around like some peon... I received Snivy-" His next words were cut off by a yelp. The boy's body stiffened and Harry glanced down, noticing that Lucius' knuckles had gone bone white as he squeezed Draco's shoulder.

"How a Pokémon is obtained is only half the story though, isn't it Lupin? A Legendary Pokémon in the hands of an inferior trainer... one who should never have been allowed to have it in the first place... one who is a boy playing at a man's game... well, it doesn't stand a chance, does it?" His gaze drifted towards Hermione. "Or a girl playing at a woman's game, if you wish to be politically correct."

"Indeed," Remus said, standing a bit straighter. "Just like Lily proved that even a weak Pokémon, under the care of a great trainer, can become quite powerful."

Powerful enough to destroy your master.

He didn't say the words but both heard them.

"Yes," Lucius said, his eyes darkening for a moment before he reached down, the bookstore bag dangling from his long, thin fingers. "I would love to debate such things with you, Lupin, but I have important work to do. Draco, come along, I have some final words to share with you."

The boy wisely odded, hurrying after his father as he marched along the platform, other families moving out of his way.

"Can... can we not do that again?" Neville asked, shivering slightly.

"I feel like a need a shower after talking to those two," Hermione complained.

Remus scoffed. "A full cannon shot from a Blastoise wouldn't remove their filth."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, only for the Weasleys to finally arrive and draw his attention away from Draco and his father. Molly was hugging them all while Arthur looked at his two youngest and fought back tears. The twins were doing their best to hold off on pranking until after they were safely on the train and away from parental eyes, while Percy stood tall and proud, looking, if it were possible, even more puffed up than usual. Molly looked ready to envelope Harry in another bone-crushing hug but the boy was saved by the shrill whistle of the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh... all my babies are leaving the nest," Molly sniffed, tears in her eyes as she turned her attention towards Ginny, Harry's hug being redirected towards her. Neville and Hermione had already said goodbye to their gran/parents before hooking up with Harry and Remus so they made their way onto the train, promising to secure a cabin for their group. Ron was getting a final check-over by Arthur, who was reminding his son that Hogwarts was suppose to give him an education and it was not an excuse to goof around.

Remus clasped his hands on Harry's shoulders and smiled as he looked down at the boy. "Don't worry about me while you are gone, all right? We'll see each other enough and worrying won't make the time go by any faster."

"Ok Remus."

"Now, don't aggravate the Slytherians too much." Remus smirked. "Just enough to remind those like Arboks that they aren't the rulers of the school."

Harry nodded. "I will." He stepped back, only to change his mind and rush back over to give Remus a final hug. There was nothing else to say, so the two of them merely shared a smile before Harry hurried onto the train, Ron and the rest of his family hot on his heels.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Remus," Arthur said.

The gym evaluator gave the Head of the Weasley Family a dry look. "He's James and Lily's son... he'll be having adventures before they get a mile outside of Galahad."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Any idea what cabin Hermione picked out?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head as he made his way along the rows of cabin doors. They'd already searched the first two train carts and found nothing. There had been some casual hellos or, in the case of a few Slytherins, cold shoulders, but otherwise nothing had happened that fazed them.

That changed when Harry opened the last cabin door of the third car. He glanced at Neville and Hermione, the latter with a perplexed look on her face, and was about to ask what had her puzzled when the third occupant of the cabin spoke up.

"Are you here to challenge me to a children's card game?"

The girl was young, though it was hard to get a sense of just how young she was. There was an other-worldliness to her, as if she belonged to a different land and had stumbled upon Avalon by accident. She stared at Harry with wide bright eyes and the boy found it quite startling that she never seemed to blink. Her long blonde hair was done up in a ponytail and the end was clamped by some strange orangish-brown lump. A copy of the Quibbler was in her hands but she held it upside-down; whether this was on purpose or a joke it was impossible to know. She wore the standard first year trainer outfit but she'd added white fringe to the sleeves and every button was a different shape and color.

"Uh..." Harry said, not quite sure how to react.

"Luna!" Ginny squealed, shoving the boys out of the way and darting over to the blonde. She wrapped her in a hug and, for a moment, Harry saw the girl's mask slip as she clung to the youngest Weasley like a lifeline. "You remember my brother, right?" Luna pulled away and nodded, her eyes returning to their wide, far-seeing stare. "This is his friend, Harry Potter. Harry, this is my best friend, Luna Lovegood."

Any other time Harry would have been startled; this was the most Ginny had said since he met her. But the way Luna held his gaze prevented the boy from focusing on anything.

Ron finally elbowed him and Harry was knocked free of the trance. "Don't worry, mate, you'll get use to her... someday."

The train lurked and the boys quickly took their seats; any complaints Ron might have had about sharing a cabin with his sister were silenced by the knowledge that, at this point, they'd have very little chance finding another place to sit.

"Sorry about that, Harry," Ginny said, looking down at her hands. The boy found it odd that Ginny could not look him in the eye and Luna wouldn't stop. When he looked at her for further information she shifted uneasily. "The eye thing… she didn't mean it. Luna's just half Veela."

"Veela?" Harry said in confusion.

Hermione spoke up. "They are a tribe that originated in Kalos. They are renowned for being Mistresses of the Gaze." At Harry's blank stare Hermione sighed. "The Gaze is another one of the Ancient Pokémon Arts, like Pokemagnuses, Element Wielders, Aura Knights or Speakers."

Luna nodded, reaching up and running her fingers along her hair. "My mummy was a Veela, even if she left to marry my daddy. That's how I got Mickey."

"Who's- AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Harry leapt back as the strange bobble that hung from Luna's ponytail _blinked_ at him.

"Excuse him, Luna," Neville said politely. "Harry spent most of his life on Little Surrey and they don't have Pokémon there... he's never seen a Trapinch before."

"Yes, how foolish of me not to see." Luna whipped her head forward and Mickey let go of her hair, tumbling above her head before landing in her lap. "I will have to remember that he is slow." She turned towards Harry and smiled. "This is Mickey. He hasn't digivolved yet."

"Uh huh," Harry said, finding himself caught in Luna's stare again until Ron gave him another elbow to the stomach. "Ow!" He rubbed the abused area. "How does that keep happening?"

"The Gaze is quite strong," Luna said, a bit of sadness coloring her words. "My mummy was teaching me but..." She trailed off, her feet swinging back and forth. Ginny and, to Harry's surprise, Neville reached over and gave the little girl a hug; he only belatedly noticed that her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

Harry, who was still feeling as if he had missed the first 2 acts of a 3 act play, turned towards Hermione. The bushy-hair girl smiled, glad to share her knowledge. "Veelas were the first practitioners of 'The Gaze' and they tend to do it subconsciously until properly trained.." Seeing that Harry was still confused, Hermione smile faded. "Did none of you do any of the summer reading McGonagall assigned?"

"There was summer reading?" Ron asked.

Luna tilted her head and pointed to Hermione. "If I am Pinkie then you must be Twilight." She studied Ginny for a moment. "And you are Fluttershy."

Harry turned to Hermione, who shrugged. "I have no idea what that means."

Harry watched as Ginny and Luna began to discuss their summers, Hermione lectured Ron about the importance of summer reading and Neville tended to Flora. If the train ride was any indication, his second year at Hogwarts would be just as crazy as the first.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: As you can see, this chapter has gone different than the movies and books. There will be no flying cars here and this is only the start of major changes to the structure of these tales.

With Lockhart I wanted to capture the mood of the showman but also deal with some issues others have pointed out… namely that a strange man was able to accost a boy (Harry) and not get in trouble for it in the slightest. I so resisted the urge to have Harry say, "I need an adult, I need an adult!"

I have mentioned before that due to me adapting works that you have all read before causes me to have new problems and new opportunities. This chapter presents a good example of this: You all know Lockhart is a fake. He is in the books and the movies. So instead of playing him up as someone boosting that everyone believes, I use this knowledge you all have and play with it to create a new mystery: How does he do it? I also decided to add a bit of the worst I've seen of fan fiction writers into Lockhart… namely the self-serving, 'I deserve all your love and if you don't give me enough I will be pissy', suck-up to everyone but clearly don't care about them, attitudes.

One of the strange things about this story is naming characters. Obviously the Potter characters have names, but for the Pokémon Characters, many don't have established last or first names and, as such, I have to create their names… and make them make sense within both worlds. Take, for example, the two Pokémon Trackers mentioned in this chapter. Jack Kenway is an original character but, as it will be revealed later, is connected to two characters from Johto and thus his last name had to fit their last. When it came to naming Alder I decided to do something different and give him NO last name, instead going with the theory that his people would take no last name but instead would identify themselves with their region.

Speaking of Jack, just a tease of what's to come: N from Black and White has the potential to be a Speaker and can use some of their abilities, but only Jack and a select few have mastered the powers… and a Master of Speaking goes well beyond N's abilities.

As for Harry, I wanted to begin showing that being raised by Remus is affecting him and allowing him to develop and grow. Last book saw a shy, nervous Harry and while it will take a long time for Harry to fully break away from that… we are beginning to see signs of Harry developing a bit of a sense of humor and a bit of snark.

And thus we have Luna Lovegood. I decided when it came to her that she would be my fun character who could say jokes that no one else got but that would have the audience laughing. Luna will reference many different things that only the audience will get. I chose to make her a Half Veela because I wanted to explain some of her quirks and tie the Veelas into the story earlier than they were. If it wasn't obvious with Remus, Jack Kenway, and now Luna, the Poke Arts will play a big role in this story.

The arts are, by the way:

-The Elemental Wielders of Kanto (master: Koga)

-The Speakers of Johto (master: Jack Kenway; used by members of the Sons of Johto)

-The Aura Knights (master unknown)

-The Gazers/Veela (Veela are the Mistresses of this art)

-The Dream Walkers of Unova

-The Stone Holders (Meta Evolution) of Kalos (master unknown)

-Pokemagnus (Mistress: None official but Prof. McGonagall is known as the best)

Finally, there were many great suggestions for Luna but I decided her starter had to be Trapinch. First off, it is just a strange little Pokémon… with its starry eyes (remind you of someone?) and silly looks. But it evolves into a strange yet beautiful and powerful Pokémon… much like Luna grows up to be a strange yet beautiful and powerful woman.


	7. Shortcuts

"I thought the first day of classes were suppose to be easy," Ron mumbled, resting his head on his table. "Everyone knows that."

Hermione rolled her eyes, shifting in her seat so she could more easily look at Ron. They'd decided to have Harry and Ron pair up for Pokémon Battle Class and Neville stick with Hermione; other than Harry, who excelled at the class, their group managed well and didn't need to pair up based on strength/weakness like they did in Ball crafting or Potions. Even Ron's Battle grades had improved at the end of the previous year, what with him getting a Pokémon that actually listened to him. "Ron, if it were up to you we wouldn't do anything the first day of school... or the second, or the third..."

Ron just waved her off. "And if it were up to you we'd never leave school. You'd have us taking classes all year round, without breaks... probably strap us to chairs with metal clamps holding our eyes open so we wouldn't accidently fall asleep. Have diapers too… and feeding tubes."

"You've put an awful lot of thought into this," Harry said.

The busy haired girl huffed in annoyance. "That is not true in the slightest! I would never suggest we spend every waking moment in a classroom."

"Wait for it..." Ron whispered to Harry.

"Learning out in the field, on your own, can be quite beneficial! In July, for example, I spent a week studying different long grass to determine-"

"Called it," Ron muttered.

"What was that, Ron?"

"Nothing," Ron said, lifting his head up and giving her a smile. He instantly regretted it, as the sharp headache he had been battling made its presence known the moment he did so.

Harry couldn't exactly blame Ron for being grouchy; while he didn't have a headache his muscles did ache from that morning's marathon of classes.

First up had been Tracking with Prof. Sprout. She had explained that while first year had been about learning the basics, this year would be about the Key Three: Stalk, Wait and Chase. She had told them that tracking Pokémon wasn't all about stealth; at times one needed speed to catch up with an escaping Pokémon or strength to reach places where stronger, rarer Pokémon lived.

_"You think a Ursaring is just going to come strolling down a path between towns? Or maybe Honedge will be waiting for you in the doorway of an abandoned castle, passing the time before you to walk by and catch it? No... while there are Pokémon all around us if you have any hope of encountering rare or unusual Pokémon you have to be willing to go the extra mile... and that is what you are going to do today!"_

_She'd pointed towards the castle and told the students they needed to run around the castle perimeter three times. Sprout had then informed them that if they could do a lap in under 5 minutes they could reduce their remaining laps by one. She'd also told them that if they took longer than ten minutes on a lap it wouldn't count and they'd have to run it again. Most of the class hadn't heard her though, as they took off in a dead run the moment she suggested them getting out of some work._

_Harry had noticed that Neville was only jogging, keeping a nice even pace and refusing to give into the taunts of the other students as they passed him by. Harry had shrugged this off and joined the others, letting out a whoop of delight as he completed the first lap in 4 minutes. He had thanked his Gauntlet training for making him better prepared for such a task._

_His joy had died the second lap when he'd hit the wall and found himself gasping for air and clutching his side in pain. His speed reduced to barely that of walking speed, he'd plummeted from delight to despair as his second lap's time of 11 minutes flashed on the scoreboard Sprout had set up._

_"Humans and Pokémon are different in many ways!" Sprout had called out as she walked over to Harry and Hermione. The two of them had realized that iwith the way they were going it would be useless to try and run until they caught their breath. Better to take it easy and start their second lap over for the 4th time with a second wind. Harry had found himself gasping for air and unable to keep going. He was use to running fast, yes, but only for short bursts followed by moments of waiting. He'd made a stupid mistake and it had cost him some pain. "But one of the key differences is that we lack their stamina. Even a Golem or a Hippowdon can keep moving far longer than a human can. The trick to tracking down a fleeing Pokémon is using your brain." She had gestured towards Neville, who had finished his three laps 15 minutes ago. He had been enjoying a drink of much-earned water with Flora, watching the rest of the class struggle through their laps. "Tell me, what do you think Neville realized that allowed him to be done before the rest of you?"_

_Harry watched as a Ernie Macmillan, one of the Hufflepuffs, stumbled by on his now 'unofficial' 5__th__ lap. "He realized that he could do all the laps in the allocated time but not in the shortened time," Hermione had said._

_"Yes, but what else?" Sprout had pressed. When the teens didn't answer she had shook her head and called for the rest of the class to stop and gather around. Icy cold water bottles had been quickly provided and students either gulped them down or had just laid down on the grass, resting them on their foreheads. "Today's lesson was not just about endurance but about a fundamental fact of life: there are no true shortcuts. Neville here is the only one to complete the challenge I set forth... 20 points to Gryffindor, Mr. Longbottom... and that is because he put in the work." Prof. Sprout had began to pace before them. "If you want to track down Pokémon, you can't cut corners. Yes, you can make things easier on yourself, like using better Pokeballs or coming up with strategies... I am not discouraging you from using your heads. _

_"But you must put in the work. Mr. Longbottom decided that he would just put in his three laps instead of attempting to cut them down and be done. The rest of you tried to take advantage of a shortcut and it blew up in your face. In the fields and in the forests that might allow a Pokémon to flee... or put your life at risk." Sprout had let her eyes roam along the line of students, trying to get her message to soak in. "You all know about the battle between Alder and Raikou."_

_Harry had not heard the story and had later at lunch asked Hermione about it. Apparently 4 years ago Alder, one of the Top 3 Trackers in the world, had been traveling through Johto when he encountered a Raikou and battled it. He'd failed to catch it, as it had fled after Alder had managed to get in a hit, but he had returned with a broken tip of one of its fangs, which he wore to this day around his neck._

_Sprout had informed them that most people forgot to mention when telling the story that Alder had chased after the legendary Pokémon for 3 hours before finally managing to corner it and have a quick battle. He'd ran through fields, swam across a fast moving river and leapt from treetop to treetop in his pursuit. The lesson, she'd told them, was that if you wanted to achieve greatness you couldn't expect it to just be laid in your lap. _

It had been a good lesson but one that left the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors sore for the rest of the day. Even Prof. McGonagall's class, which Harry normally found quite interesting, couldn't hold his attention. Lunch had been a chance to recover but for some students (like Ron) they were still achy, grumpy, and in no mood for any further education.

"Neville," Harry said, leaning across the table towards his friend, "have you heard anything about our new Battle Instructor?" Harry had been expecting Prof. Dumbledore to introduce Prof. Quirrell's replacement at the welcoming feast but had been disappointed when the only thing the headmaster declared was the normal warnings about the Forbidden Island and Filch's Ban List. Of course, there was a chance he had missed it all, as he had glanced over at the Ravenclaw table when Luna had been sorted and been shaken out of the gaze-induced coma 15 minutes later by a laughing Ron.

"You haven't heard?" Neville asked in surprise.

"Bulba!" Flora snapped in frustration, kicking at Neville's pencil.

"Heard what?"

"Well-"

"I'm just saying, why do extra work when a C is good enough?" Ron said loudly, drawing attention to himself.

Hermione found such an attitude to be blasphemous and was in the middle of trying to convince Ron that doing extra credit was worth it not just for boost in one's grade but for the educational value when Gilderoy Lockhart burst into the classroom. He was wearing black trainer jacket with pointed coattails that nearly touched his ankles and an overly fancy pokéball belt was swung around his designer jeans. His shirt looked to have a higher thread count than most bed sheets and the earpiece he wore could have feed a family of four for a year.

"Greetings, future trainers!" Lockhart said, breezing past the tables and tossing his bag on the desk. "Please, I ask that you hold all your questions and requests for autographs till the end of class."

"Wonderful," Harry muttered, fighting the urge to bang his head against his desk. Most of the girls in the Gryffindor/Slytherin class were letting out little sighs of delight at the sight of Lockhart while a good 2/3rds of the boys were secretly hoping that Lockhart would bring out one of his super-rare Pokémon. It seemed only Harry and Neville were immune to the charms of Gilderoy Lockhart. Even Ron looked a touch star-struck.

Seeing the reception he was getting, Prof. Lockhart rubbed his hands together, a playful smile on his lips. "Now, from what I have gathered you spent much of last year watching a stuttering man in a bad hat show you some mock battles and have you fire on a few targets. Bor-ing!" Lockhart paced back and forth, one hand clasped behind his back while the other waved about. Harry instantly got the strange impression that Lockhart was only doing this because he thought it looked cool. "Do you know how you best learn? By doing! Yes, you could spend the next 6 years studying every book in the library on dueling strategy and famous battles... you could research Lance Blackthorn, Drayden Arkenstone or Delilha Ketchum and examine all the facets of their different battles. But let me tell you a little secret... you could do that and you'd still lose." He threw his arms out wide. "Open your Battle App and select section 3... then delete the entire app and forget all about it!"

Harry's brow furrowed as he watched the rest of his class do what they were told. Some, such as Ron, went with the seemingly insane plan mostly because they'd wanted to always do something like it since beginning at Hogwarts. Others, such as Hermione, struggled for a moment but finally gave in to the charms of Prof. Lockhart... even if it looked to the boy as if Hermione had been asked to sacrifice her first born. Neville glanced back and Harry, who shook his head slightly and motioned for his friend to leave his dex alone.

"In this class we will learn by doing! We will learn through trial and error and through self-education. I will not be teaching you, children... you will be teaching each other!" Lockhart began to pace down the rows of desks, pointing at the children. "In my classroom you will be the teachers! You and you and you! Your homework will be to aid your fellow students and your grades will be determined by your ability to teach one another!" The boastful professor seemed to dance along the room as he spoke, all but one set of eyes trained upon him; those eyes belonged to Harry, who was too busy rolling them skyward. "You will each pair with your deskmate. You will then be assigned a chapter from your Battle App and, on your assigned day, present the information you have found to the class. You will be graded on showmanship, your ability to wow the crowd, and dazzle!"

"Uh, sir?" Neville said.

"Yes, you... by Merlin you don't stand out much, young man. You need to work on that. You blend in and don't do much to catch people's attention. You'll never make it as a trainer… maybe try a different shampoo."

Neville fidgeted. "Sir... how are we supposed to present a chapter from the Second Year Battle App when you had us delete the guide from our dex?"

Lockhart blinked. "Did I have you delete it?" All the kids nodded. "Well... reupload it! Yes... yes, just upload it again! Purchase it again if you must... purchase a backup too, just in case."

Harry watched as the rest of the class went about doing this. He and Neville had been the only one not to follow Lockhart's suggestion and he was now thankful for following his gut. Skimming through the Details section of the app, Harry's brow furrowed and he glanced up at Lockhart, who was looking at the other students with greed-filled eyes. It was only when he noticed Harry's hard stare that he stepped back, his hand subconsciously going to his throat.

"Well..." Lockhart said, a slight quiver in his voice, "it seems that is all I have for you today. Why don't you all make it an early day... I know you'll want to get started prepping your lesson plans!" He turned his back to them and made a big show of studying some random papers on his desk.

"Alright!" Ron whooped, motioning for the others to follow him. "Come on, let's hit the common room and snag a good seat before anyone else!"

Harry spared one final look at Lockhart before following his friends out the door.

~MC~MC~MC~

Hermione appeared on the teleporter, a pensive look on her face. Neville, Harry and Ron were seated on the best couch in the common room (or it was according to Ron), their dexes opened. Flora was seated beside Neville, nursing on a bottle of pain medicine. Her evolution spasms still hadn't stopped and Neville was fearful that she would do damage to herself soon if they continued. Togepi snuggled up on Harry's lap, babbling to herself while Ludwig floated around the group nervously, making sure they were ok. Seeing Hermione, the candle Pokemon darted towards her and inspected her with a critical eye.

"I'm fine, Ludwig, but thank you," Hermione said, taking out her pokeballs and sending out Snorunt and Ralts. The psychic type and the ice type stayed close to her, politely refusing Eevee, Snover, and Cubchoo's offer to join them in playing with a sparkly ball Neville had brought out. "I don't think you can help me with my problem."

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked, shutting his dex.

"I can't find one of my bags," Hermione said sadly.

"What was in it?" Neville asked.

"Probably books," Ron said. "All of Hermione's bags are full of books."

"They are not, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione snapped, stomping her foot. "And even if they were, better to feed my brain that feed my stomach... like you do with all the food you pack!"

Ron glared at her. "At least what I pack is practical! If the Express had crashed you would have thanked me for a Twinkie! No one would have been lining up to get one of your smelly books!"

"They might have lined up but they wouldn't have gotten any Twinkies from you!" Hermione fired back.

"Are you saying I'm greedy?" Ron shouted, leaping off the couch and stomping towards the busy-haired girl.

"No, I was saying you ate them all before we left the station... but greedy works too!"

"Guys!" Harry called out. Ron and Hermione whipped around to glare at him but Harry held his ground. "Just... knock it off, ok? This is our first full day and I'd like to make it through it without a Ron/Hermione screaming match."

The two looked away, clearly embarrassed, before moving to sit with Neville and Harry. It wasn't missed by either boy that Hermione and Ron sat on opposite ends of the couch and avoided each other's line of sight. Ralts and Snorunt curled up next to Hermione while Ron watched Cubchoo wipe his nose before going after the ball.

"So Hermione... what is missing?" Neville finally asked.

Hermione shifted uneasily.

"...it's books, isn't it?" Harry said dryly, elbowing Ron when he began to snort.

Hermione let out a huff, ignoring Ron completely and addressing Neville. "I can't find Prof. Lockhart's books. I wanted to read up on some of his findings..."

Harry scoffed.

"Still don't trust him, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Today only strengthened my conviction that he's a tosser," Harry stated.

Ron stared at Harry as if the boy had grown three heads. "How could ya not like him, mate? No homework! No textbooks!"

"Yes textbooks," Harry reminded him. "And yes homework. We are going to have to put a lot of effort into our sections, Ron. More work then we might normally put in, since now the entire CLASS will be witness to our mistakes."

"Well," Hermione said, defending the Professor, "it is a bit unorthodox but Prof. Lockhart's not the first teacher to suggest that students learn better teaching themselves."

"But he is the first to use students to line his pocket," harry countered. "None of you noticed just who wrote that app, did you?" When the others looked at him in confusion Harry sighed. "Prof. Lockhart. He wrote that app."

"So?" Ron asked.

"So? Don't you think it is weird that he would write our textbook then decide to have us delete it? Why?"

"He was passionate," Hermione reasoned, even though it was clear from the way she was running her teeth over her bottom lip that she didn't quite believe her own words. "He was caught up in the moment."

"He was trying to bloody double dip," Harry stated. "Everyone who deleted that app had to rebuy it. I bet you he did the same thing in every class, just so all the students would pay him twice." He glanced at Neville. "You heard Remus... don't you think all of this is a little shifty?"

Neville looked down. "Well... yes, it is weird..."

"But isn't it possible that Harry is letting his mistrust of Prof. Lockhart color is views?" Hermione challenged.

"That's... also possible… can't we agree to disagree?"

Everyone looked at Ron, who shrugged. "Hey, I'm just glad there is only one homework assignment."

Harry shook his head in frustration. He knew that Hermione had issues when it came to authority figures; she was always so quick to agree with them and follow their word, treating it as law. He knew this but that didn't make it any less frustrating. While Harry did his best to follow the rules and not act up, years with the Dursleys had wiped away any naive belief that adults always had his best interest at heart. There was a difference between obeying the rules and following them blindly.

Hermione though still viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses... or, at the very least, she view her interactions with adults as such. The only reason she had actually broken the rules and gone along with Harry, Ron, and Neville last year had been her stubborn refusal to abandon her friends. Still, there were times where Harry couldn't help but wonder if, during a moment of true need, Hermione Granger wouldn't turn her back on him in favor of a teacher.

"Forget it," Harry finally said, deciding it just wasn't worth the effort. He fought the desire to fire off one more retort at the sight of Hermione's smug little smile; it would only make the fight blow back up. Better to let things go... there would be plenty of time to bask in victory when Lockhart was proven a fraud and Hermione was forced to see him as he truly was.

Their conversation turned to other things, such as their homework for McGonagall's class; they had to work on getting one of their Pokemon to select a certain colored ball from a ball pit without actually calling out the color. Harry had already ruled out Togepi (no offense to the little one but she would be too distracted by the balls to do more than play with them) and was trying to decide between Ludwig and Eevee.

"I think Eevee might be the best bet," Neville said. "You've had him the longest so your connection is going to be stronger."

Hermione shook her head, reaching over to tickle Togepi, earning a squeal of laughter for her efforts. "But Ludwig is a Ghost-Type. I read an article a few weeks back where Prof. Juniper theorized that certain Pokémon types are actually the same; they merely splintered off at one point and ended up focusing on two different parts of the same power base. She believes that, for example, the Dark Type and the Fighting Type were once one and the same but Darks, to counter Psychic attacks, began to focus on quick, distracting moves rather than powerful assaults. She also theorized that Psychic and Ghost Types are related."

"So?" Harry said, not following her.

"So, Psychic types are able to bond much closer with their trainers due to neural links. Ghost types might be able to do something similar, which would make this task easier... we can do some research-"

Ron's dex began to ring and the redhead thankfully opened it, glad for the distraction and the chance to avoid an unnecessary trip to the library. "Ginny? What-"

"Ron, please!" Ginny whispered, the dex's speaker barely able to transmit her words. "Please come here."

"Ginny? Ginny, what's wrong?" Ron said, cranking up the volume on his dex. Harry, Neville and Hermione all circled around him, staring down at the frightened face of the youngest Weasley. "Ginny?"

"Luna... I tried to stand up for her but now they are coming after us both... Ron please..." There was a loud noise that made the four Gryffindors cringe and Ginny let out a yelp as the sound of laughter came out of the dex's speakers. "RON!"

"Ginny!" Ron screamed as the transmission cut off. "Ginny..." he redialed but got only a ringtone. "Bloody hell... bloody hell, what do we..."

Harry recalled Togepi while Ludwig and Eevee moved to stand with him. "Come on, we have to find her! Ron, send me her phone number now and then go find your brothers! Neville, you go get Prof. McGonagall-"

"I'm coming with you," Neville said sternly, shocking his friends. Harry opened his mouth to protest but one look at Neville's face, which was so fierce and stern it nearly knocked him back, had the words dying on his tongue.

"I'll find Prof. McGonagall," Hermione offered.

Harry gave her a tight nod. "I'll send you our location as soon as we find her." Flora leapt into Neville's arms as Snover returned to his ball. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron one more time before racing out of the common room, Neville on his heels.

"How are we going to find them?" Neville called out. "She didn't tell us where Luna and her were!"

"I know where they are," Harry said, pulling out his dex.

"How?"

Harry gave his friend a slight smile. "A little something called The Maurauder's App."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes:

I realized that I never discussed what Ralt's Moon Mirror held item would do. I hate that the Psychic Power-Up item is Twisted Spoons, as that feels like a Abra-Line exclusive item. As such, I decided to create a Ralts Exclusive item. Moon Mirror, when held by a Psychic or Fairy Type, increases special attack.

Stalk, Wait and Chase is a phrase I coined to describe the three main methods of hunting: Stalking refers to the idea that you have to actively hunt your prey. Wait is to set up places where prey will come to you. And chase is to run them down. None of these are really done in the games so I wanted to focus on them in the Tracking class. As the characters go out and catch new Pokémon (and yes, many of the characters will catch at least one new Pokémon this year… no gift Pokémon this year, at least) we will see these strategies come into play.

Lockhart's method of teaching is a real one. I had a Business Communication class when I went for my degree where we broke into groups and had to present 4 lesson plans over the course of a term. Now, for a class about giving meetings that is a wonderful idea… but in this class… well…

Harry continues to develop as I write this. He is getting a bit more sarcastic and a bit more open. The scared Harry still lurks and he will have cases of the jitters at times, but with a guardian who loves him, a core group of friends, teammates who support him, and Pokémon to teach him responsibility… Harry is going to develop into a well-rounded person.

As I mentioned in a previous chapter, this story is forcing me to give names to MANY Pokémon characters. Some had issues with my giving Alder no last name… I point out to them that in many areas this isn't uncommon. In Renaissance Italy it was common for people to be known by their town name… such as a painter from the village of Vinci… you know him as Leonardo de Vinci.

Lance Blackthorn is of course the Elite Four trainer Lance from red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Silver and Gold. I chose his name with the theory that his family founded the town of Blackthorn in Johto and named it after themselves (much like the Penn family created Pennsylvania). Drayden's name is related to dragons… it was the Arken Stone that drew Smaug the great to the Lonely Mountain.

I knew, as these books went on, that I would need to change things up. This next subplot is a MASSIVE change that will see Luna and Ginny get more to do, while also allowing for more action.

And a final note… when I work on stories, I try and pick out pieces of music that can work as the themes for the characters. Obviously most of the Harry Potter themes will remain, but for many new characters and Pokémon characters, they will need new themes.

As of now, I have settled on three for upcoming characters/places:

-Hikari Kingdom Orchestra's Kingdom Heart's Theme would be the "The House of Kenway" theme (aka Jack Kenway's theme, as well as his wife Clair Blackthorn-Kenway, his brother Jonas Kenway, and his adopted daughter Jasmine). The beginning half would play during any mention of Jack Kenway in these books while the last half (aka the March Section) would begin in Book 4 and continue through to Book 7 as their war theme.

-Howard Shore's 'Over Hill'/'Misty Mountains Cold' theme would be 'The Sons of Johto' theme (especially the final 'The dwarves attack' section), and be used when the Sons or those connected to them are in the middle of a tense situation.

-To continue with the theme of Johto and the dwarves, the opening of Howard Shore's 'Balin's Tomb' (aka 'Gandalf Reveals the Stone Pillars') would be the 'Johto' theme and be used for any characters or Pokémon from that region.

As always, Pokémon suggestions, as well as Pokémon battles you'd like to see, are always encouraged.


	8. The Row in Ravenclaw

The Marauder's App.

Long had that little program been a subject of myth and legend in Avalon.

Rumors had been circling the region for nearly 50 years, since the first crude dex had been turned on and transmitted a message from one trainer to another, that there existed such a program. It was an urban legend and a conspiracy theorist's most beloved tale. Plenty of people claimed to have seen it in action, though none could agree what the app actually looked like. Books had been written on the subject and there were even a few movies where it played the role of MacGuffin. Many dark plots and sinister deeds were claimed to have been started because of it.

The Marauder's App tantalized someone people because of what it promised. It was a simple premise but one that could result in great power for the holder. Some searched for it in order to claim it as their own; others wanted it in hopes of destroying it and ridding the world of its danger forever.

The Marauder's App, in the simplest of terms, was a locator device. Based around the PokeSearch function in a Pokedex, The Marauder's App would allow a trainer to locate someone. But unlike the Pokedex version, which required a trainer to have actually physically encountered a Pokémon in order to allow the dex to send the right data to the orbiting Silph Co. satellite, The Marauder's App did much, much more. It was said that the App could locate ANY trainer, anywhere in the world, and tell you exactly where they were.

With such a power, good people could find lost trainers on dangerous trails; locate dangerous criminals and their bases of operation, while allowing the wicked to find their targets no matter how hard they hid. Some had believed that this was the item Nicholas Silph had taken with him when the Sons of Johto had marched on Celadon City. Lord Voldemort had tasked a team of 20 Nocturne agents to attempt to find the legendary app, leading to raids of tech companies and government buildings. He had been confident that the app existed and with it he could finally seize control of Avalon.

And he was right... The Marauder's App did exist... but it was not in some secret government lab nor created by a mad tech genius.

The father of the Marauder's App was a young Remus Lupin.

To be truthful, Remus' creation was not The Marauder's App of legend. Remus, after serving a 2 week detention for a failed prank, had decided that he and his friends needed a way to move about the castle undetected. Lily's Lampent had been out of the question, as she would never let them risk her precious Pokémon to go prank other students. Thus, Remus had decided that if he could be invisible he'd have to just avoid Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris.

It had taken 2 months of work but Remus had succeeded. The computer program he'd written utilized some of Hogwarts' lesser known tech glitches to give him full access to the school's wireless system. A backtracing program was slipped in quietly enough and, with a few commands, Remus had created a way to find out the location of any trainer in the school who held a Pokedex. It didn't matter if they were a student, teacher or visitor; if they had a dex then Remus could track them.

It had been Sirius' idea to call the program The Marauder's App, thinking it would be a hoot to have the 'legendary' program in their control. James had taken it a step further, deciding that they should make themselves part of the legacy: the Marauders were born.

After the war Remus had fallen into a pit of despair that had taken several years for him to crawl out of. Upon doing so he had looked over that old program and realized that it was one of the few things to remain of his best friends. He'd spent months hidden away in his study, typing away at his keyboard, using all the tricks and lessons he had learned to bring his school days' project to the modern day. Every free moment had been spent on it but, in the end, it was well worth it. The Marauder's Map 2.0 fulfilled the legends of old... then surpassed them.

With the new App, a holder would locate almost anyone in Avalon. As long as the person had their dex and wasn't 20 feet underground the App would be able to get a signal and transmit it to the user's dex.

As he ran down the halls of Hogwarts Harry was eternally grateful Remus had trusted him with a copy of the App.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," Harry said as they turned a corner and made their way down a long empty hallway.

"Hello Pronglet," a tinny voice called out from the dex.

"Hello Porygon," Harry said. Remus had figured out that the best way to get the Marauder App to work was to get a living program to do the heavy lifting. James and Sirius had pooled their money to purchase a Porygon for Remus for Winter Solstice and Mr. Moony had spent the last decade and a half tinkering and upgrading the poly Pokémon to his current form. At first glance one might assume Porygon was just another Poygon Z; a Pokémon evolution that only existed due to hackers creating a faulty disc in order to power up Porygon 2. Though Porygon looked similar to its Z brothers it was light-years ahead of them in most ways. The digital Pokémon did not suffer from the glitches the other Zs tended to have and it did not corrupt programs like Porygon Zs tended to do if not monitored.

Remus' Porygon (which he had dubbed Porygon M, as in Marauder) was technically an alternate evolution of Porygon Z, though Remus did not go about advertising this. Porygon M was built for speed and defense; it would never win a battle against a gym leader but it could survive the strongest of attacks by both Pokémon and viruses without showing any signs of wear or tear. More importantly, it was able to handle the high speed calculations the Marauder App demanded without the user even noticing a lag.

"Hello Pronglet," Porygon chirped. "How may I be of service?"

"I need to locate the trainer whose phone number I just uploaded."

Harry's dex's screen flashed and a map of the castle appeared. "Ginevra Molly Weasley is currently in the History classroom near the Ravenclaw dorm. She is also with a Miss Luna Lovegood... oh dear."

"Porygon?" Harry asked, whipping around another corner and nearly colliding with some Hufflepuffs. Neville and him paid them little heed as they rushed towards the Ravenclaw tower.

"I am detecting six Ravenclaw students outside the door of the classroom... I believe they are trying to get to Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood."

Neville let out a half-snarl, half-cry, his legs churning even harder as he put on a bit more speed. Harry didn't know how the boy did it; Harry was on the Gauntlet team and was finding it hard to keep up. Ludwig was bobbing just over his head and Eevee's claws dug into Harry's shoulder as the boy charged after his friend. Up ahead they could hear the jeering laughter of the Ravenclaw girls bouncing along the hall.

"VINE WHIP!" Neville roared the moment he spotted the Ravenclaws. The girls barely had time to turn before Flora lashed out, leaping from Neville's arms and smacking the Claws about with her vines. They stumbled away from the doorway they had been kicking and pounding on, leaving Flora to place herself between it and them.

One of the girls fell to the ground, cupping her cheek. "Who do you-"

She never got to finish, as Harry, realizing that the girl was holding Luna's purse and had on her earrings, decided that he knew enough about the siltation; he'd seen it played out enough time with Dudley and his crew. "Ludwig, Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

"Eevee!"

"Litwick!"

The twin orbs of shadow energy launched from Harry's Pokémon, striking the downed Claw and sending her skidding along the floor.

"Mienfoo, I chose you!" one of the girls, the apparent leader of the pack, called out. The fighting-type bobbed up and down for a moment before zeroing in on Eevee. "Rock Smash!"

The brown and white Pokémon let out a cry as the martial arts expert slammed her fist down on Eevee's head with a vicious 'crack!'. Before Harry could even respond Mienfoo had grabbed Eevee and used him as a bat to strike Ludwig, slamming him into a wall.

"You shouldn't have interfered!" the previously fallen Ravenclaw girl shouted, standing up and inching her way towards the classroom door. "You or the Weasley girl! This is between us Claws and Looney! Who the hell do you think you are?!" she shouted.

"I am Neville Longbottom," Neville said coolly.

"And I'm Harry Potter… now get the hell away from my friends!"

The girl merely sent out her Sneasel to join up with Mienfoo. "Fury Swipes!"

"Flora!" Neville called out. "Vine Whip counter!" Flora didn't even bother to acknowledge the command. Twin vines shout out and struck Sneasel before he could get off his attack. "Now move into a Vine Wrap!"

"Mienfoo, grab those vines and send the Bulbasaur for a ride!"

"Withdraw vines!" Neville commanded.

"Too late!" the girl laughed, watching in glee as Mienfoo wrapped her paw around the vines, securing them so there was no chance of them slipping from her grip.

"Good," Neville said with a smile. "Flora, retract them NOW!"

"BULBA!" Flora called out, the vines suddenly going taunt. Mienfoo barely had time to realize her error before Bulbasaur launched herself at her, the retracting vines ripping her through the air like a snapped rubber band. She collided with Mienfoo, slamming the fighting type into the wall. Flora used her full weight to pin the Claw's Pokémon down, squawking out in anger. Every time Mienfoo tried to shove her away Flora would stomp her feet against her opponent's chest.

"Ice Shard!"

Flora howled in pain as the frozen barbs struck her hindquarters. She turned around to confront the new challenger, only for Sneasel to send another icy assault at her, this time striking her in the face.

"Like I said," the second Ravenclaw said with a sneer, "you should have stayed out of-"

"Eevee, Tackle!" The claws let out a cry of shock as Eevee seemingly appeared out of thin air, his little paws outstretched as he hit Sneasel. Using the momentum, Eevee rolled over the Dark/Ice Pokémon and landed next to the injured Flora, growling at the challengers.

"How?" the lead Ravenclaw demanded, recalling Mienfoo and pulling out a new Pokéball.

"For a Ravenclaw you aren't that smart," Fred called out from the far end of the hall. "Plusle!"

"Minun!" George shouted, tossing out his own Pokéball. "I agree... first they think it wise to attack a Weasley... everyone in Hogwarts knows we travel in packs!"

"Indeed, brother, and then they don't know about the Invisibility Ability!"

Percy strode forward, glowering at everyone in the hall. "All of you put your Pokémon away now!" Plusle and Minun stuck their tongues out at Percy and leapt onto their trainers' shoulders. Harry reluctantly did as told while Neville scooped up Flora, his attention never leaving the claws. Satisfied that the fighting, for the most part, was over, the young man glared at the Ravenclaws. "I am only going to ask this once... where... is... my... sister?"

"Percy!" Ginny called out from the door the Ravenclaw girls had been trying to break through. "We're in here!" Ginny opened the door, her fainted Rattata cradled in her arms. She glanced back and, after a few moments, Luna gingerly stepped out into the hall, Mickey still clamped onto her ponytail.

"The Big Damn Heroes arrive," Luna said softly. She tilted her head when her eyes met Neville's. "Hello Captain Malcolm. I see you brought Jane."

Harry stared at Luna and felt his anger begin to bubble up once more. She was wearing the same t-shirt she had been wearing the day before and her jeans were covered in dirt. She had on no shoes and there was only one sock on her dainty feet. Her trainer jacket was missing, as was her belt, and the only Pokéball she had belonged to Mickey.

"Luna..." Harry said with concern. While the strange girl did make him uneasy, especially the way she was able to hold him and others captive with just a glance, that didn't mean that he wanted any harm to befall her. Far from it; it was clear that Neville cared about her, as did Ginny, and that meant that Luna Lovegood was a friend of his as well. If Harry were honest with himself, the other reason he was so ready to leap to Luna's defense was that he could see much of himself in her: a lost child, preyed upon by bullies who sought to take away what little she had and destroy her sense of self-worth. It hadn't been that long ago that Harry would have been in a very similar situation.

"What is the meaning of all this?!"

Harry turned and found himself wishing it were a herd of enraged Nidokings that was bearing down upon him. That would have been scores better than the sight of Prof. McGonagall storming towards them, her stern face looking as hard and cold as glacial rock. Hermione followed quickly behind, looking at her friends with fearful eyes, clearly wondering what trouble they had gotten themselves into this time.

"Professor-" Harry began, only for, of all people, Percy to jump to the rescue.

"I am wondering the same thing, Professor," Percy said, his arms wrapped around a trembling Ginny. With reinforcements having her back and the fight clearly over Ginny found herself caught in an adrenaline crash that left her shaking like a leaf. Percy gave the slightest of nods to his brothers and the twins subtly shifted so that they flanked Luna while Ron moved to stand with Neville and Harry. "I would very much like to know why my baby sister was trapped in a classroom by Ravenclaws acting more like a horde of Treverants than trainers."

Percy Weasley might be many things… but when his family needed him, he would come to their rescue. Every… time.

McGonagall pursed her lips, clearly not liking Percy's tone but unable to find any fault in his question or a reason to scold him. She pulled out her own dex and typed in a few commands. "Albus, could you please contact Prof. Flitwick... I am bring several of my Gryffindors and a group of his Ravenclaws to your office... we need to sort out why they decided to engage in unsanctioned battles in the halls."

Harry shut his eyes as Prof. Dumbledore's tiny voice assured the deputy Head Mistress he would do just that; things were about to get really sticky.

~MC~MC~MC~

It took a good hour to get everyone situated and all the different points of view told. The Ravenclaw girls, led by a 3rd year named Cho Chang and her apparent second, Marietta Edgecombe**, **explained through fat tears that this was all a misunderstanding and that Harry and Neville had attacked the girls when all they were guilty of was a harmless 'Welcome to Ravenclaw' joke. It had only been McGonagall's hand on her shoulder that kept Ginny from leaping up and tearing Cho's face off. Harry, for his part, managed to swallow any disgust he felt, having long gotten used to sitting with authority figures and listening to bullies spin tales that made them the victims.

Harry glanced at Luna, who was oddly enough the most quiet of the bunch even though she was the center of the entire affair. Ginny had given her friend her trainer jacket to wear and Flora sat on her lap, sending death glares at the Ravenclaws. Mickey still dangled from her ponytail, apparently asleep. Neville, for his part, no longer looked like an avenging angel and more like himself… but there was still a touch of strength and sternness in his chubby face as he sat next to the girl.

Luna remained silent, still, just looking about the room. She seemed to prefer letting anyone else, even those that had tormented her, speak for her.

"I knew something was wrong when I saw what Luna was wearing… or wasn't," Ginny said, finishing up her part of the story. "Especially her earrings. She would never give them to Cho or anyone else... not unless she was forced."

"You obviously don't know your friend that well," Edgecombe said with a sniff. She'd been claiming that Luna had given up much of her stuff in a bout of 'charity' and that Ginny, Harry and Neville failed to realize that Cho and her were now her best friends and would never hurt or harm her. "She is very friendly to us and let us borrow her things."

"Even her shoes?" Hermione fired back, disgusted by the Ravenclaws. Luna looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes.

"While I admit that it is strange..." Prof. Flitwick said with a sigh, "your case is not helped by the fact that you boys attacked my students and Luna has said nothing to collaborate your story."

"Why would she?" George asked, rolling his eyes. "She tattles and she is in for even worse hazing."

"Minun!" the electric mouse said in agreeement, he and his brother having scurried away during the long conversation. They'd finally decided to take up a seat behind Dumbledore next to a statue of a laughing Moltres, making funny faces at the kids in an attempt to get them to crack up.

"Mr. Weasley!" Prof. McGonagall snapped. "That is-"

"Correct?" Fred said, finishing his head of house's statement. "Right on the money? 100% accurate? The most honest thing you've heard all week?"

"-strong words and a dangerous accusation."

"Doesn't make it less true," Ginny said with a huff. "They are thieves and bullies... wonder how they'd like to be tormented and tortured-"

"See how she acts?" Edgecombe wailed. "She keeps attacking us over and over while these two stuck their noses where it didn't belong."

"They stuck it in there because you and your little group of cowards were harassing one of your own!" Ginny fired back.

"We were not!"

"You were too, bitch!"

"Don't call me a bitch, bitch!"

"Bitch bitch bitch!" Ginny shouted, ignoring McGonagall's calls for her to be quiet and the threats of lost points that were being thrown her way. Percy was frozen stiff, his disciplined mind unable to comprehend anyone acting out in such a way in front of someone as powerful as the Headmaster, let alone the baby sister who, in his mind at least, would always be 8 months old and giggling at picture books. Ron was looking at his sister, befuddled by her reaction. Fred and George were patting each other on the back, complimenting each other for managing to 'train Ginny properly'. "Admit it, you are just a jealous bitch! Can't stand it that Luna is so much better than you; that people care about her more than anyone will ever care about you!"

"Who would be jealous of Looney Luna!?" Edgecombe screamed. Her eyes went wide the moment the words slipped out of her mouth and Cho looked at her with a stare that could only be called lethal. The twins were, much to their own shock, trying to keep Neville in his seat; the normally shy boy was struggling against them, clearly wanting to get in Edgecombe's face and let her have it. Ginny merely wore a look of victorious triumph.

"Very friendly," Ron muttered to himself.

Prof. Flitwick looked at the girls, shaking his head sadly. It had been only for a moment, but the mask the girls had been wearing had slipped and everyone had caught a glimpse of their true intentions. "To say I am ashamed would be an understatement. I have always held my head up high as I walked down these halls, knowing that my house was one of unity."

Harry fought back a snort; he, along with everyone else in that room, had heard enough stories about the Ravenclaws and what they were like behind closed doors. The House of the Brilliant could be just as dangerous as the Slytherins when they turned their focus away from their books. Claws were known to compete against each other, seeking out the best grades and highest honors. They were fiercely competitive and often formed clichés or packs in order to both hold onto power and protect themselves from others. Harry had seen plenty of 3rd and 4th year Ravenclaw students sobbing in the hallways or walking about like zombies; by the time they reached their 7th year they had either been beaten down completely, found a group to latch onto, become as cold and ruthless as their tormentors... or been driven away.

It was clear that Cho and her little band had decided to start early.

"I am disappointed as well," Dumbledore said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. He seemed to read the Gryffindors' thoughts and answered them with his next statement. "I would have thought that you girls would have been smart enough to know that once you make an enemy of someone you lose them as an asset." The Ravenclaws finally decided to use their smarts and had the decency to look abashed at their scolding. "100 points from Ravenclaw for failure to show house unity." He turned towards Harry and Neville, shaking his head. "As for you two, while I applaud your sense of duty when it came to defending your friend, there are proper and improper ways to do so. 50 points from Gryffindor for battling in the halls."

The old Harry would have meekly nodded and accepted his punishment. He would have scurried away, his tail between his legs, and worked hard to regain the Headmaster and his Head of House's lost trust. The old Harry would have just gone along with it all and remained silent.

But Harry was no longer that boy.

"No."

"Mr. Potter?" Prof. McGonagall said, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Harry repeated.

"Harry," Hermione hissed but the boy waved her off.

Prof. Dumbledore was surprised by Harry's comment. "I don't understand, my boy."

"I said no," Harry stated.

"What does that mean?" Flitwick said in confusion.

"It means no," Harry said, sucking up his fear. He was in for a penny, now it was time to go in for a pound. "I do not accept the loss of points."

"Harry, my boy, I am afraid you don't understand," Dumbledore said kindly. "You do not get a say in the matter."

"To take away points from us is to disgrace Gryffindor."

"That is the point, Mr. Potter," Prof. McGonagall said tartly. "You have disgraced your house. Another 10 points-"

"I have not disgraced Gryffindor," Harry said, standing up and forcing himself to remain tall and straight. "You have... for not rewarding us for our actions." Dumbledore's leaned forward, his head tilted a bit as he studied the bespectacled boy, while his Head of House's lips nearly disappeared they were held together so hard. "You talked about how these girls," he waved towards the Ravenclaws, "disgraced their house, the House of Brilliance, by allowing their emotions to outweigh their common sense. Gryffindor is the House of the Brave... and what is braver than rushing to help someone even if you know it will bring you trouble? I have been taught to stand up for myself and my friends… for what is right. And now you want to punish us?" He shook his head. "No… I refuse to accept that; I refuse to accept the loss of points."

"Be that as it may, my boy, but you cannot simply go running down the halls battling other students with your Pokémon." Dumbledore nodded to himself. "I will not subtract any more points for this outburst but I will remind you that there is a time and place for everything and everyone, even myself, must obey the rules of this school and this region."

Before Harry could say a word Neville leapt to his feet and pointed at Cho Chang. "You have taken honor from my house!"

"Mr. Longbottom, sit down!" McGonagall shouted. "Gryffindor-"

Neville continued as if Prof. McGonagall had not said a word. "I'm not talking about Gryffindor. I am Neville Longbottom, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. You five attacked Luna Lovegood of the House of Lovegood... my intended."

Harry neck nearly snapped, he whipped about so quick to stare at his friend. Hermione had let out a gasp and Prof. McGonagall had fallen back into her seat as if struck. Harry looked about, trying to figure out what was going on, only to see the thunder-stunned looks of his classmates and professors. Prof. Flitwick had gone as white as a sheet and several of the Ravenclaw girls were pressed against the sofa they were seated on, staring at Neville then at Luna. The Weasleys had looks that ranged from shock to surprise and worry. Ginny in particular wore utter concern upon her features.

"Oh Neville..." Luna whispered. "What have you done?"

Harry looked at his friend once more, trying to make the two pictures add up. He had many memories of Neville Longbottom, the shy boy who so many had been surprised to see go to Gryffindor. He was the boy that liked to sit away from the action and spend time with only a select number of friends. He was someone who never put on airs or acted like he was something grand or special. He was easy to miss and even easier to dismiss.

And yet here was another Neville. Here was the Heir of Longbottom, the future Gym Leader of Lucan City, who was able to lock eyes with the great Albus Dumbledore and not blink. This Neville was seemingly the antithesis of the Neville most in Hogwarts knew and yet Harry could not help but feel that the shy boy the world saw was but a mask.

No... not a mask... a shield. A protective shield that Neville wrapped around himself. But a shield nonetheless.

"This insult cannot stand," Neville said, squaring his shoulders. There was faintest hint of fear in him but whether it was caused by having so much attention upon him or what he was about to say next, none could be sure. "I challenge you, Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe to an Honor Battle."

Dumbledore seemed to wilt the moment the words were said. He fell back into his chair, his face creased and eyes half shut as he looked down at this desk, all his many years settling upon him. It was clear to Harry that the headmaster had known the moment Neville stood up what was going to happen... and had been hoping against hope that he would be proven wrong.

"Two on One, Longbottom?" Chang said snidely. Harry couldn't be sure if she actually felt as cocky as she sounded or if she were merely attempting to buff her way into getting Neville to back down. "I knew you Gryffindors were stupid-"

"Miss Chang!" Prof. Flitwick exclaimed.

"Harry will be my partner, Cho," Neville said.

"He will?"

"I will?" Harry said in surprise. "I... uh.. I mean of course Nev, but-"

"What are the stakes?" Edgecombe asked.

"See here!" McGonagall exclaimed. "You cannot do this..."

"There is nothing we can do, Minerva," Dumbledore said sadly. "Mr. Longbottom has invoked the right and Miss Chang and Miss Edgecombe have accepted. To try and prevent them from doing this…" The Headmaster trailed off and Harry wondered what he meant.

"If we win," Neville said, "Ravenclaw will take all punishment that was leveled at Gryffindor. They will also have to make a formal apology to Luna and return every item she requests back."

"Very well," Cho said, standing up. "And when we win you and Potter will have to deliver a formal apology, admitting that Loony over there was at fault for everything. Gryffindor will take all of Ravenclaw's punishment... and you will surrender your Bulbasaur and Eevee to Edgecombe and I."

"The same for you," Neville said. "The Mienfoo and the Sneasel."

Harry raised his hand. "Do I get a say in this?"

"It is finalized," Neville said. "I will arrange with my head of house a day and time for the battle... you do the same."

Cho nodded, motioning for her pack to follow. "See you then, Longbottom."

Harry looked about in confusion. "What... what just happened?"

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: _Before we go any further, let me just point something out: None of you have the full story. I purposely left out many details about what just happened so that you would experience things just as Harry has. I WANTED you confused and shocked... cliffhanger, kids. Next chapter will clear many things up (the key here is that Neville called it an HONOR BATTLE... that should tell you something is different) so, before sending me rude PMs that are just baseless attack messages, how about you take a moment to realize that I haven't steered you wrong yet and maybe, just maybe, I actually have a game plan in mind._

_Ok, sorry about that, but I got a couple rather nasty PMs right in a row and, quite honestly, with the life issues I am dealing with right now the last thing I need is a bunch of hate letters. I've proven so far able to write a decent story, I think I deserve some faith._

Alright, rant done.

And so we have the digital Marauder's Map. I hope you all like what I did with it, because it will continue to play a big role in the series.

I know some of you were worried about how battles would go in this story, but I hope the hallway skirmish was to your liking. I love the quick back and forth and counters here… made it feel a bit like one of Ash's battles in the anime.

I am sure there are going to be those that hate what I did to Cho here, but I wanted to showcase that there is more than Slytherins that are not totally light in their dealings. And quite honestly, from what I've read about Cho… I'm not a fan. And she already had a cliché of giggling girls trailing after her, so it just worked to make them the mob that harassed Luna and led to Neville's Berserk Button moment.

A piece of the puzzle falls into place when it comes to Neville. Yes, that's right, Neville and Luna are betrothed. I know that betrothal and Ancient and Noble houses aren't canon, but I like both aspects and I have plans for both to make them work in my story.


	9. Ancient and Noble Houses

The common room was abuzz.

Younger students moved about, happily discussing their first day of classes. They bunched up together in little bundles of threes and fours, excitedly going over every moment and every lesson. It didn't matter that they had all experienced the same thing; they were all just so excited to be at Hogwarts, training their Pokémon and learning all they could that would let them become big shots in Avalon. Some were more excited than others, such as one overly excited Gryffindor named Colin who happily showed off pictures he'd taken with his camera while his Mime Jr. cheered in delight. The prefects knew from personal experience that there would be many tired students the next morning, as half the night would be spent lying awake, staring at the ceiling as their brains raced and their memories played over and over on a continuous loop.

The older students were also quite active, though for different reasons. Their attention and whispered gossip was focused entirely on a group of young Gryffindors seated in the far corner of the common room. The stories became more outlandish and wild with each telling, to the point that the truth had long been washed away and a sea of fiction.

Harry had heard bits and pieces of the rumors that were being spread about their battle at the base of Ravenclaw Tower. Some said that Harry and Neville had been possessed by the spirit of Godric Gryffindor himself and that the founder of their House had driven the boys forward to protect one of their own. They had, apparently, called upon the 'Sword of Gryffindor', a legendary Pokémon whose name had been lost to the ages but who was said to wait until the time when, at long last, the Heir of Gryffindor would rise up and return to take his place alongside the other lost Heirs to reclaim Avalon and bring it into a new golden age.

Others claimed that the story was all backwards and upside-down and it was Ginny and Luna who had saved the two 2nd years from the Ravenclaws. These students furiously described Ginny calling upon an swarm of Woobats to drive off the Ravenclaws and protect the two boys.

Their opponents ages and numbers seemed to always change and become more outlandish with each bit of barely-heard whispers Harry caught. A few 7th years were convinced that Harry and Neville had battle the entire Ravenclaw House in an epic battle that had lasted the entire day and saw 4 dead, 12 wounded and one converted into a religious zealot who now preached that the true creator of Pokémon was some sort of flying spaghetti monster. George and Fred were the source of that rumor, in Harry's opinion.

The bespectacled boy glanced over at his friends, each of them rendered silent by the day's strange turn. After Neville's proclamation the Gryffindors had followed their fuming Head of House back towards the tower, only for another confrontation to bubble up at the doorway. Ginny and Neville both refused to allow Luna to head back to Ravenclaw Tower. When McGonagall had coldly told them that despite her problems with a few members Luna had been sorted into Ravenclaw the red-headed girl and the shy boy (though that description no longer fit) had refused to budge an inch, threatening to sleep in the hallway if they had too.

It had been Hermione, who had her nose nearly pressed against the screen of her dex since the entire debacle began, who offered a solution. She'd gleefully informed them that student could switch houses if a relative or future relative was in that house and their guardian agreed. It was an old rule which hadn't been used in nearly 300 years, though Hermione had found a passing mention of it being attempted roughly 15 years early by the Black family. One quite note to Luna's father and they had gotten the permission needed to have Luna trade in her black hat for a red one.

McGonagall had finally consented and Ginny, absolutely thrilled that her friend would be now a member of their house, had dragged Luna away to the teleporter, wanting to show the far-gazing girl her new room. Several other first year Gryffindors had joined them, already jabbering away about how they would lend Luna clothes until 'that gallant Neville and Harry' won hers back 'in glorious battle'.

Harry shifted in his seat a bit, a pink tint coloring his cheeks. Most of his life had been spent out of sight and out of mind, being ignored by a vast majority of those around him. Remus had been helping to build up his confidence, of course, but that didn't mean he was like Prof. Lockhart, reveling in the spotlight when it swung his way. He found the light glaring and the constant stares put him on edge. He could manage when his fellow classmates saw him simply as the Boy Who Lived and Lily's Heir. It was a touch bothersome for Harry, at times, but it he would never let anyone know that, mostly because he didn't want it to seem like he was dishonoring his parents. His father was The Man Who Fought and his mother was a national hero, the slayer of Voldemort, The Woman Who Won; in Avalon they were beloved heroes who some believed should be made into saints. It wasn't his right, even as their son, to diminish them.

But it was, as strange as it was, his own accomplishments that made him embarrassed and would cause him to cringe. Being the youngest Runner on the Gauntlet team in Hogwarts history, already owning three Pokemon when most of his classmates only had one, his battle against Prof. Quirrell (though almost no one knew the true story, thankfully, as that would only make things worse)... all these things drew even more attention to Harry and he hated it.

Neville too had reverted to his old shy self. With Luna safely placed in the Gryffindor First Year Girl's Dorm, the young boy no longer needed to stand tall and fight against her enemies. Neville now sat on the couch of the common room, his knees tucked up under his chin while Flora rubbed his leg, cooing softly. She was making it clear that she was in complete support of her trainer and his actions.

Harry ducked his head towards Hermione and Ron, his voice falling to a whisper. "Alright, I have no idea what happened... one of you mind cluing me in?"

"What's got ya confused, mate?" Ron asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'd like to know what I got signed up for that could result in me losing Eevee!"

Ron just stared at him. "Well... I admit it would be bloody annoying but I don't see why it would be that big of a deal."

"That... that... RON!" Harry exclaimed. "Eevee is my friend... it is a big deal to lose him forever!"

Hermione scrunched up her brow in confusion. "Lose him for-? Oh... oh!" Hermione's fingers flew over the keys of her dex. "Yes, of course! I keep forgetting that you know so little about Avalon Customs." Harry's own dex buzzed. "I just sent you a guide so you can read up on it... something that just gives the pointers."

Harry opened the PDF attachment Hermione had sent, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline as he purused it. "157 pages?"

"What, too short?" Hermione asked. "I did find one that goes into more detail about the bowing technique..."

Ron scoffed. "Leave it to you Hermione to make something like a Pokémon Battle dull. Look mate, I'll break it down real simple." The boys ignored the grumbling girl. "In Avalon there are families... many of them are just that, families. Mum, dad, so on. Occasionally though, one of them goes and does something important... defeats an army, finds a new Pokémon, so on and so forth. They do that and they get honored by the House of Trainers. Sometimes it is just a medal, other times they get some reward... but if they did something really special, they get a title."

"A title?"

"They become a Noble family," Ron stated.

"It's a hold-over from the days of Merlin and the Founders," Hermione stated.

Harry frowned. "Ok..."

Neville took over, feeling it was his right to inform Harry about everything, as it had been his brash proclamation that had gotten him into all of this. "Take my family... we got the title of Noble because my ancestor, Finnegan Longbottom, managed to cut a route through the Knight Forest and open easier trade routes between southern and northern Avalon."

"Ok... so what did the Potters do?" Harry asked. "I've heard of us referred to as the Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

"No one knows," Hermione admitted in annoyance; she hated an unsolved problem and an unanswered riddle. "The Potters have always been Ancient and Noble, at least according to the history books."

Ron waved his hand. "Alright, back to my point. There are then the Ancient families. They get that title when the family holds a position of some kind for at least 4 generations. Around half the gym leaders in Avalon are from Ancient families... the Longbottoms, the Potters, the Weasleys..."

"It uses to be all of them were," Hermione said, "but then the War happened and a lot of families were lost. The Black family is either dead or imprisoned, for example."

Harry slumped down in his chair. "Ok, this is interesting but I'd like to get to the part about me giving up Eevee."

"I'm sorry Harry," Neville said sadly, "I should have consulted you first... and let you know what was going on."

"Nev, I get it... if I was betrothed or whatever you and Luna are I'd have reacted the same way. But now I'd like some straight answers."

Hermione tapped a few buttons on her dex. "In the last 100 years there has been three major wars. The most recent was the Johto/Kanto War, which was fought between the Sons of Johto, led by Jack Kenway, and the armies of Kanto, led by Lance Blackthorn and Hirosama Koga." Hermione activated her dex's projector ability and the image of a bold looking young man silently giving a speech appear in the air in front of the group. "The first war, and the largest, was started by Team Manifest, led by the Hoenn terrorist Grindelwald. He preached that all regions should be united under one flag."

"He wanted to rule the bloody world," Ron said.

"He was defeated by the headmaster," Hermione said, switching the image to that of a tall, charismatic man with shaggy brown hair and cold, cruel eyes. "The second you know about... Avalon League Champion Tom Riddle, otherwise known as-"

"Voldemort," Harry whispered, staring at the image of the man that had murdered his parents.

"Right," Hermione said with a weak cough, turning off the image, realizing there was no need to cover that subject anymore. "The thing is, Harry, 200 years ago there had been in Avalon 30 wars in just a span of 15 years."

"What... why?" Harry stammered, trying to wrap his head around that.

Hermione sighed. "You had a lot of different families, each one with their own loyal followers, constantly butting heads over the smallest and silliest things. Honor is a huge part of Avalon's history and Ancient and Noble families don't like it when they feel that other people aren't showing them the respect they deserve.

"Then one day the House of Trainers hit upon a brilliant idea. They created Honor Battles, which allowed families to settle their differences with Pokémon in controlled battles, rather than in bloody wars."

"Ok, great... so what exactly is an honor battle?"

"Just what it sounds like, Harry," Ron said. "Two trainers, one of whom is from at least a Noble or an Ancient house, battle each other with their Pokémon. The entire thing is arranged by neutral third parties, in this case our head of house and Prof. Flitwick, and done in front of a group of witnesses to make sure everything is fair. There are agreed upon terms-"

"Like me losing Eevee forever?" Harry asked.

Neville shook his head. "Harry... do you think I'd ever risk Flora... or Eevee?"

"Well... no," Harry admitted. He felt a bit of shame that he had leapt to that conclusion; Neville would never do that to him and, more importantly, Neville loved Flora like she was his sister.

"To surrender a Pokémon to someone else is more of a symbolic thing. In the old days, yes, a family might hold onto a Pokémon as leverage, to ensure that the losing trainer didn't retaliate. But nowadays it's all just for show. If you and Neville lose you have to give Eevee to the Ravenclaws, they will make a little speech about how they are merciful, and then give you Eevee back."

"...huh?" Harry said in confusion.

"Again, its all about honor," Hermione said. "By giving up your Pokémon and needing your opponent to give it back, you are surrendering to them and their whims. It is a way to show they are better than you. You won't lose Eevee... just have to deal with some embarrassment if Chang and Edgecombe win and they make a big show of handing back Eevee to show how magnanimous they are. There is no way any of the professors would let them, or us, keep any Pokémon."

Harry stared at his three friends for a moment, his face twisted into a look of disbelief. "... THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU ALL BLOODY WELL SAY THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!?"

The three friends all tilted their heads in perfect synchronization, staring at Harry with befuddled looks.

The boy blushed... even more so when he realized that everyone in the common room was now openly staring at him.

"...never mind," Harry mumbled.

"Ron, could you and Hermione..." Neville trailed off, running his palm along Flora's bulb.

"Could we what?" Ron said blankly.

"Come on Ron, let's go see what Seamus is doing."

"Why?" Ron asked as the bushy-haired girl dragged him away. "Hermione, what-"

Neville motioned for Harry to come sit next to him, the Gryffindors mulling about the common room returning to their previous conversations. Placing Flora on the ground so she could stretch her legs, Neville looked at Harry and smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry I got you into all of this, Harry."

"Nev, I'm not mad at you for getting me involved with this. I'd be mad if you hadn't." Harry smirked. "Are you forgetting who was the first one charging at those Ravenclaws?"

Neville smiled back, though it wasn't as strong as Harry's grin. "Still, I shouldn't have spoken for you."

Harry shrugged. "Well, the next time I drag you off on some wild adventure involving trap doors and Snorlaxes, just consider us even."

"Deal," Neville said.

Harry leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "The truth is I am mad about how little I know. I thought I was beginning to get Avalon figured out and suddenly I'm back to being the kid who doesn't know anything. Driving me bloody crazy."

"Harry, I've grown up in Avalon my entire life... my gran has been preparing me to take over our gym since I could hold a Pokeball... and I still don't understand half the things that happen in this region."

Harry chuckled at that. "Yeah..." he flashed Neville a sly smile. "So... you and Luna?"

Neville groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "I am never going to live this down, am I?"

"You tell me, Mr. Betrothed. Is... whatever this is... common?"

"Depends," Neville admitted.

"On?"

"Who you are," Neville admitted. "And exactly what kind of betrothal you are dealing with."

"Losing me here, Nev," Harry stated.

Neville considered his words carefully for a moment. "Promise this stays between the two of us?"

"Well, since we are going to be partners in an Honor Battle, I figure we should be able to trust each other."

"Ok... first off, about 70% of the people in Avalon wouldn't ever have betrothal contracts."

"Why's that?"

"Mostly because it is an old Ancient House thing. All of this is really old, traditional stuff... add into that the fact that anyone practicing these things would want to keep it in house..."

"Neville," Harry said, "could you stop circling your point?"

"The people that would do betrothal contracts are like the Blacks, before they were wiped out, or the Malfoys. Your either a family that has done it for years or a family that WANTS people to think you've done it for years. Hermione's parents would never think of doing such a thing and Ron's family isn't rich enough to get away with it."

"What about the Potters?" Harry asked nervously. He didn't like the idea that one morning he'd wake up to find someone that look like Crabbe or Goyle in a dress standing at his bedside, proclaiming themselves in intended while holding a contract his mother and father had signed.

"Not sure but I doubt it. Your dad married Lily Evans and everyone knows she wasn't from a rich or powerful family. I doubt your mum would force you to marry someone you didn't know."

Harry nodded, not totally convinced but willing to put that fear aside for the moment. "So... you are Luna..."

"Not like that," Neville said, chewing on his lower lip. "You know that my gran raises me, right?"

Harry nodded. He had never found out the whole story about what had happened to Neville's parents and he could never muster the courage to ask. He could sense that it was a private story and one Neville would share only when he was ready.

"I... I didn't have a lot of friends growing up. I knew people, like the Weaselys and Draco, but they weren't friends. I was just expected of me to be civil to them, since we were all going to end up gym leaders one day. But there weren't sleepovers or anything like that... just parties where we were expected to behave."

Harry frowned at this. He was ashamed to admit that his first thoughts were not of Neville but himself; would that have been his life? His father had been a gym leader, and his father before him. Did James Potter subscribe to the same ideas that most gym leaders in Avalon apparently believed in? He had assumed since learning about his mother and father that growing up with them would have been wonderful and a million times better than being with the Dursleys. And yet now he could not be so sure. Had James and Lily lived would they have made him grow up like Neville did? Would he have been shown about as much love as he received at the Dursleys? Or worse, would he have grown up to be another Draco?

Neville, unaware that his words had caused such a crisis of faith in his friend, continued on. "When I was 5 years old there was this summer party... I don't remember what it was about; I only know that it was really hot. Flora had been born a few weeks earlier but I wasn't allowed to claim her yet, even though I knew she would belong to me the moment I saw her hatch." Neville slumped a little in his seat. "All the other boys were running around out in the garden of the estate... I think we were at the Greengrasses… but I just wanted to be by myself. The other boys wouldn't have wanted to play with me anyway... I was the slowest and was never good at wild games.

"So I am sitting under this tree, feeling really bad for myself, when this little girl came up to me. She had the biggest, widest eyes, like the whole world was one big surprise and she didn't want to miss out on a single thing. She sits down next to me and says, "I'll be your friend". I hadn't even said a word and she knew exactly what I needed." Neville shook his head, smiling slightly. "But that's Luna... completely blunt and saying things you'd never expect."

Harry smiled back at his friend. "Luna's a real original, I'll give you that. How did the betrothal contract happen?"

Neville scratched Flora under her chin. "When I got my letter to go to Hogwarts Luna suddenly got real quiet. She stopped sending me messages and when we hung out at parties she didn't laugh like she use to. It was kinda like how she was in the Headmaster's office... she was there physically but you could tell that mentally she was off someplace else. When her mum d..." Neville sucked on the inside of his cheek for a moment, unable to finish that thought, "anyway, she had already retreated into herself a bit and after that letter she went even further. I finally got her to talk and she told me..." The boy let out a blast-like breath. "She told me that it was easier to distance herself now, rather than find out the next summer that I was leaving her behind for all my new friends."

"How could she think that?" Harry wondered out loud.

"Fear is an amazing thing, Harry... I know that better than most." Neville didn't elaborate, choosing instead to continue his story. "I knew I had to do something to show her that I valued her and would never leave her."

"The contract," Harry stated.

Neville nodded. "It had other benefits too. Luna's mother was the head of the Percival Gym but her family was not an ancient or noble house... neither were the Lovegoods. I knew that there would be people like Cho that would try and take advantage of Luna, especially with the whole 'Gaze' thing... the betrothal contract protects her."

"Using their traditions against them," Harry muttered. "But what if you two decide you don't want to be together?"

Neville shrugged. "We break it. Since I arranged it with Luna we are the ones to decide. I don't know what will happen... we're only 12... but until I decide I want to protect Luna."

"And you have, Nev," Harry said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "And you can count on me to have your back when we take Cho and her sidekick down."

"Does that make you my sidekick?" Neville asked with a smile, standing up and stretching his arms while Flora busied herself with playing with a throw pillow.

"As long as I don't have to wear pixie boots and green tights mate," Harry said with a smirk.

As the boys teased each other, across the room a gathering of the Gryffindor Gauntlet team was taking place.

"So... those two are going to take on the Claws," Katie Bell said with a smirk.

"It better not interfere with practice," Oliver grumbled.

Fred rubbed his chin. "I do say, Ollie, I'd think you'd be more behind this little match."

"Yes," George added. "The little Claw Harry is facing is Ravenclaw's Runner... and our first match is with them."

"I wonder what it would do to their confidence if Harry went out and destroyed her?"

"Shatter it, most likely."

"Yes, brother, I believe so. Or make her angry and want to try and prove herself."

"Which would make her make mistakes, my smart brother."

"Indeed, my handsome brother."

Oliver glanced at the twins, a sinking feeling filling the pit of his stomach. "What are you two planning?"

Fred and George shared dual grins. "Tell me, Ollie... if the first key to battle is knowing your opponent, what is the hammer that breaks that key?" When the rest of the team merely stared blankly at him Fred rolled his eyes. "George, please educate them the proletarians."

"If you want to throw off your enemy... throw something at them they'll never expect."

"Like a new attack?" Katie asked.

"A new Pokémon," Fred said with an almost maniac grin. "A strong one… a FORBIDDEN one."

"And we happen to have a Forbidden Island near here, do we not?" George pointed out.

"...you are not... you couldn't..." Katie began, only to suddenly stop and mimic the twins' grin. "I'm in."

"I believe this is the part where we share an evil laugh," George said as the rest of the Gauntlet team quickly agreed to the unspoken plan.

"Yes, I believe you are right," Fred said before throwing back his head and letting out a wicked laugh that was picked up by his brother and then the rest of the team.

Neville and Harry shared a look. "I've got a bad feeling about that," Harry muttered.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Note: First things first, for all you X and Y players: Do you want to get something special for your game and also find out more about this story? Send me your Friend Code and I will send you mine. My Code will unlock a Psychic Friend Safari where you can capture a Grumpig (the evolved form of Spoink, Merlin's lead Pokémon!) and a Duosions (The second stage of Remus' Reuniclus!). The third Pokémon, you ask? The Pokémon that Hermione will catch and name Crookshanks! Find out early what Hermione's next Pokémon will be by going on my Friend Safari!

Simply send your friend code either by PM or in the body of your review (please have more than just your code in the review, thanks) and I will send you mine ASAP. I will friend back every person that sends me theirs. Then go get some Pokémon. Of course, be prepared for me to randomly select you for trades, send O Powers, so on and so forth. And you never know when I might be in the mood for a battle… especially if I have some of Harry's, Neville's, Ron's, Hermione's, Remus', or even The Lord of Sevii and Jack Kenway's Pokémon. I will, at times, even trade off Pokémon based on ones from this story to random lucky fans, including Dobby the Kadabra, Harry's Eevee and Ludwig the Litwick, or Neville's Flora.

Now, onto to the story. So we get an explanation of the Ancient and Noble families. I wanted to make both titles mean something, so that when you heard it you got a clue about the family and their importance. So, we have the Ancient House of Weasley (just Gym Leaders), and the Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and Longbottom. Dumbledore's house would be just a Noble House (as only he has been Headmaster), and the Malfoys have neither title, since Lucius' family moved from Kalos when he was a boy.

A ton of little notes in this story of interest, and I'll be curious which ones spark more interest in you guys.

So many people were freaking out that Neville was risking Eevee… I considered stringing you along a bit more but decided to stick with my notes. I got the idea of the Pokémon give-and-return from Game of Thrones, only I made it a bit nicer.

I want the image of Crabbe and Goyle in dresses trying to snog Harry to be the last thing you all see before going to bed tonight (shudders).

Just as a side note, I have decided, per some suggestions from you the readers, to alter which regions represent which lands. This has resulted in a minor change to where Luna's mother is from, as the Veelas are now from Kalos. It now goes as such:

Kanto- Japan with some English mixed in. Home of Prof. Oak, Lance Blackthorn, and Ash Ketchem

Johto- Irish with some USA mixed in. Home of Jack Kenway.

Hoenn- Undecided. Possibly a mix of Spanish and Greece. Definitely Mediterranean.

Sinnoh- Germany. Home of Victor Krum

Unova- USA. Home of Drayden Arkenstone and Iris.

Kalos- France. Home of the Fleur.

Avalon- British. Home of Harry Potter.

What can I say, these things are always altering. I will discuss massive changes from my original notes when I come to them… this story has a huge one towards the end.

A note about the Ancient and Noble houses… while Avalon uses this, expect other regions to have their own titles and ways of honoring families.


	10. The Forbidden Island

Author's Note: A guest reviewer brought up the fact that, since they are guests, I have no way of sending them my friend code. Thus, to make things easier, my friend code is: 4768-8563-2707

Please, if you were a guest that sent me a friend code, do so again in your review so i make sure I add you. Remember, friending me opens of a Friend Safari where you can get the evolved form of Merlin's first Pokemon, Remus' first Pokemon, and the Pokemon Hermione will be capturing soon.

* * *

"Mr. Weasley, I understand that you have had problems with your rat... but whatever did it do to justify having that vile concoction poured down its throat?"

Ron looked down at the brown sludge that filled his beaker, then back up at the scowling features of Professor Snape. He could feel the other students staring at him and he couldn't help but go beet read. Rather than answer the Potions Master Ron merely slouched in his chair, ducking his head so that his shaggy bangs hid his face, hoping that if he didn't say anything, the professor might forget he was there and go pester someone else.

It didn't work.

"I would take away points from you, Mr. Weasley, but I believe that you are the first person to ever create a poison more lethal than Arbok venom."

"Really?" Ron said excitedly.

"Dunderhead," Snape snapped, causing the boy to cringe once more. The only thing that kept the class from laughing was the fear of drawing the professor's attention off of Ron and onto them. "20 points from Gryffindor for creating something that is clearly an affront to nature. Now then, Mr. Potter..." Snape said with a sigh, shifting over a foot so he could stare directly down at Harry's potion. "Please look at Miss Davis' potion... describe it to me."

"Uh..." Harry said, twisting his head so he could look back at the Slytherin girl and her potion. "It is a blue."

"I know it is blue, Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped. "What else?"

"It is a clear blue?"

"It is a liquid," Snape said dryly, picking up Harry's test tube and dumping the contents onto the desk. Instead of a gush of fluid, however, Harry and Snape were treated to the solid thwunk! of Harry's hardened potion striking the desk. "I suppose if you were trying to create a suppository this might qualify as acceptable." Snape looked around at the class. "Someone please educate Mr. Potter in what he did wrong. Mr. Malfoy."

Draco smirked, enjoying the fact that he got to rub it in Harry's face that he had screwed up. "Clearly Potter did not mix his potion properly."

"No."

Every jaw in the classroom dropped at that. Snape NEVER corrected his snakes and told them they were wrong. That would be like Prof. Sprout arranging a Fight Club amongst the Hufflepuffs. Draco didn't seem to know what to do, his face twitching as if he had sat on a sparking Voltorb.

Snape picked up Harry's Bunsen burner and showed it to the class. "There has been a build-up upon the neck of this. That caused the flame to burn cooler than it should and thus resulted in this failure. 10 points from Gryffindor for failing to check equipment. I also want 500 words on what other dangers could arise from not cleaning your equipment properly before working on a potion." Snape wheeled around, stalking towards his desk while waving his hand at this dismissively. "Get out of my sight, all you; you sicken me with your incompetence."

Even the Slytherins hurried out the door, sensing that today was not a day to seek out the attention of their Head of House. Harry and his friends made their way down the halls, ignoring a few jeers directed at them by Draco and his flunkies; they were half-hearted attempted to goad them at best. Moods were quite high as this was the last class of the day and the entire weekend lay before them, ripe for adventure and fun and relaxation.

For Harry and his friends, the weekend offered the chance to forget all about the issues and stress that had plagued them during their first week back at Hogwarts. McGonagall and Flitwick had finally settled on Harry and Neville battling Cho Chang and Edgecombe on September 30. That gave all four of them plenty of time to work out strategy... or, as the professors secretly hoped, come to an agreement to put an end to the senseless feud. Of course, that was a pipe dream, as Neville would never agree to backing down and Harry was ready to stand by his friend 100% after seeing the tears in Luna's eyes when her new roommates had presented her with new clothing to replace her stolen ones.

Ron's stomach growled. "I hope they have a big meal planned for tonight... I could out-eat a Munchlax!"

Hermione crinkled her nose in disgust. "How can you possibly still be hungry after making that brown gloop! I could smell it all the way across the room!"

Ron shrugged. "I find that it is better to remove bad sensations with good ones! The sooner I eat something delicious the sooner and I can get rid of the memory of that smell."

"That... oddly makes sense," Harry stated.

"... no, it doesn't!" Hermione whined. "Neville, tell them it doesn't make any sense!"

Instead of answering, Neville turned his attention to Flora, who was wiggling a bit in his arms and letting out barking calls. "I know, I know, we'll get your medicine in a moment."

"BULBA!" Flora snapped.

"Harry, could you-"

"Got it," Harry said, sliding behind Neville and opening up the boy's backpack and pulling out a baby bottle full of medicine He passed it to Neville, who could barely get a grip on it before Flora lunged for it and began to suckle to her heart's delight. "She's still getting evolution pains?"

"Yeah and they don't seem to ending soon." Neville sighed. "At least they aren't getting worse."

"Well, that might be a good thing," Ron offered. "Didn't Mr. Lupin say that the longer it takes a Pokémon to evolve, the stronger they are?"

"I don't care if Flora is weaker than a Feebas, I just want her better," Neville said sadly.

The foursome trotted over to the Gryffindor Tower's main doorway, discussing their weekend plans and their thoughts of evolution and Pokémon strength. Hermione was just reaching over to key in the password when several strong hands grabbed them and steered them away.

"Sorry, ickle secondies," Fred said with a grin as he guided Harry away from the Tower, "we have other plans."

"Don't worry, we already packed some appropriate clothing," George said as he pushed Ron forward. "And a nice supper to eat on the way."

Hermione looked up at Katie Bell, who had decided to be her guide (mostly because she knew if one of the twins touched her they might end up with a lawsuit). "Don't worry, you are completely safe."

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!" Fred said with a spooky laugh as he strong armed Harry towards a dark classroom.

"Mostly safe," Oliver Wood admitted to Neville, more gently guiding the young man inside (mostly because he didn't like the way Flora was glaring at him). "Your bags are over there. We have jackets, boots, and hats. Get changed and we'll pass out the gear."

"Guys, what's going on?" Harry asked as he kicked off his shoes and pulled on his hiking boots. "Is this some sort of hazing thing?"

"Nah," Angelina said, "we haven't done hazing since that incident with the cream pie."

Fred and George had the decency to look ashamed at that. "We didn't mean for it to blow up!"

"Please tell me it was the pie that blew up and not a student," Hermione said, tugging on the heavier jacket Katie passed to her before carefully folding her windbreaker and placing it neatly on a desk. She was itching to ask what was going on but sensed that doing so would only result in more jokes. She'd discovered early on in her Hogwarts career that sometimes it was smarter to just let the upper years have their fun… otherwise they'd just keep toying with you.

Oliver clapped his hands, motioning for everyone to gather round. The second years looked at each other nervously but finally joined the Gauntlet team in circling around Wood. "Now then, it has come to our attention that you, Harry Potter, will be battling Cho Chang in an honor duel at the end of the month. Three days later, we will be taking on the Ravenclaw Gauntlet Team, which has Miss Chang as their seeker. It has been decided by us, your team mates-"

"Oliver, you're putting us all to sleep," Katie said, playfully pushing the Gauntlet Captain to the side and taking his spot in front of the group. "Ok, so here's the deal: we want you to win, Harry. More than that, we want you to crush her. It will either throw Chang completely off or have her become so aggressive that she'll make stupid mistakes and net us the win in our first match. We've all talked it out," Katie motioned towards the entire Gauntlet team, "and we decided the best way to net a victory is to get you a Pokémon Chang isn't expecting."

"That's right, " Alicia said. "The Claws love to study up on their opponents... they make up little lists and try and figure out what moves you might use. They have a ton of practice battles were they lay out strategies in hopes of having a complex counterattack ready. Nothing will surprise them more than a Pokémon they didn't know you had leaping out. Claws hate the unexpected."

Harry frowned. "How do you plan on getting me this Pokémon?"

George puffed up with pride. "My dear brother and I happen to know a secret route that can get us to the Forbidden Island unprotected."

"But... but that's not allowed!" Neville said fearfully. "Its forbidden... it's even in its name!"

Fred waved the boy's concerns off. "No risk, no reward. The Forbidden Island has a ton of rare and powerful Pokémon on it... we're all going to go and capture a new Pokémon!"

George nodded. "Ollie already let McGonagall know that we are going to be doing some late-night training, so she will be none the wiser."

"And I convinced Chloe to look the other way and not report that we weren't in by curfew. She'll keep our prat brother occupied while we get down to business."

Harry swallowed nervously. On one hand he was very worried about going to the Forbidden Island; not just because of the danger it posed but because of the risk of incurring his Head of House's wrath should they get caught. He knew that there were a lot of rules one could bend at Hogwarts, but the Forbidden Island was one that students didn't even attempt. On the other hand, the promise of a new Pokémon, and an uncommon one at that, had Harry practically vibrating with glee. Every student wanted to have a Pokémon that was unique and different and this was a chance to catch something he, or any of his fellow classmates, had never seen before.

"Ok, so I get why Harry is here... but why is Neville here?" Ron asked.

"Neville is Harry's partner in the Honor Battle... he needs a new Pokémon too. Plus, that makes him an honorary member of the Gauntlet Team."

"You do mean honorary as in I don't ever have to compete, right?" Neville said, memories of Marcus Flint chasing after Harry with that Graveller still burned in his memory.

"Ok... so why are me and 'Mione here?" Ron asked.

Fred smirked. "You think we are stupid enough NOT to take you two? Wherever Harry goes you two are sure to be at his side. We leave you behind and most likely we'd find you magically pulled to the island or something. Why fight fate?"

"Ok," Ron said, accepting this. "Then why is Ginny here?"

The entire Gauntlet team whipped around, staring in shock at the opened doorway of the classroom. The girl in question merely gave them a cheery wave.

"Because Luna didn't want to go by herself," Ginny said with a smirk, Luna looking about the room with wide eyes. Oliver opened his mouth but the youngest Weasley wagged her finger. "Uh uh. You even think of telling us to go back to the dorms and we'll go crying to Prof. McGonagall." Ginny bit her lip, fat tears forming in her eyes. "I… I tried to stop them, Professor, but they were so mean!" She instantly smiled, tears gone.

"If they are like the Power Rangers, then we are Tommy," Luna said to herself. "I'll go summon the Dragonzord." Ginny caught her friend's arm, preventing her from running off to go find a mech to pilot.

Katie, ignoring Luna's strange comment, merely turned to Oliver and shrugged. "They did manage to get the drop on us... and they were a part of this whole thing already."

Oliver rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine, you two can come. But stay out of trouble and NEVER leave our sight. We do this right and this will go off without a-"

"NO!" everyone hollered.

"-hitch," Oliver finished.

Hermione held her head in her hands. Ron made a silent prayer. Neville debated about doing a runner. George and Fred smacked Oliver upside the head.

"Well," Harry said blandly, "that just jinxed us."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Thank you girl," Fred said happily, reaching over and stroking the giant Tentacruel's head. No one quite sure what had caused the aquatic Pokémon to grow so big but Ginger, as she was known to many at Hogwarts, never posed a threat to anyone. Despite her species' reputation as violent Ginger was as playful as a Jigglypuff, happily wagging her tentacles whenever someone approached the lake and leaping out of the water to catch treats when they were thrown to her.

She would also, if given the right treat, happily tug boats silently across the water to whatever island one might want to visit.

"We'll be right back, pretty girl. You stay in the area and we will call you," George said, tickling the giant Pokémon between its eyes and earning a peel of laughter (or, at the very least, Harry assumed it was laughter) from the titanic beast. Ginger gave a final wave before sinking below the water's surface, leaving hardly a bubble to prove she had ever been there. Oliver and Angelina tugged the two boats onto the beach, making sure they were tucked away so that no one would spot them. It was unlikely anyone would come to the island while they were on it, but it didn't hurt to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

"Alright, we have about two hours before we'll need to get back," Oliver said, rubbing his hands together. Fall had just arrived and the air around the students was crisp and cool with the scent of drying leaves and ripening fruit swirling about them. It was that wonderful time when the night was neither too warm nor too cold and a nice jacket was all you needed to keep the chill from your bones. The sky above them was clear and full of stars and a wonderful half moon that shone down upon the students. "Our main goal is to get Harry and Neville each a new Pokémon but if you see something after that you want to grab, feel free and go after it."

"Can't help but be tempted by the forbidden fruit, can you Ollie?" George said with a grin, releasing Minun. The electric Pokémon leaping into his trainer's backpack, scrounging for a bit before pulling out a set of binoculars. Letting out a trill of joy, Minun leapt down and dashed towards the end of the beach and joined Plusle; the two of them scampered up into the trees and began to scan the area for any rare or interesting Pokémon.

"I'd be foolish not to," Oliver stated. "But my main goal, once again, is Harry and Neville." He looked down at the boys and smiled. "Don't be greedy but don't be skittish either. We don't have a ton of time to wander about and I don't want to have you two come back empty handed."

"And don't just go for the biggest and strongest thing you can find," Alicia reminded them. "Sometimes the strongest Pokémon is a young one you raise for a long time."

"Besides," Katie added, "it would be horrible to pick out a Pokémon that doesn't respect you as a trainer and refuses to follow you."

George rolled his eyes. "You all are ruining the fun of this! We are on the Forbidden Bloody Island… this should be an adventure!"

"Reeeeeeevvvv!"

All the students froze, their heads slowly turning towards the tree George and Fred's Pokémon were perched in. Plusle and Minun looked at each other, then the giant oak they were sitting in. Said tree shifted, its branches swaying and sending the two tumbling back into Fred and George's arms. The twins gulped as the tree violently shook, opening its eyes and glaring at the two of them as its bark ripped away in spots to reveal a dark ectoplasma running underneath it. More bark ripped away as the 'tree' freed its roots, a mouth forming as it let out a roar.

"Trevenant!" Katie called out, backing away from the forest's edge. Several more trees began to shake themselves free of the dirt they'd settled in and began to scurry towards them on slithering roots. She called out Rapidash, the fire pony snorting before sending a Flamethrower attack at the trees. The grass ghosts let out bellows but backed off, glaring at the students one more time before retreating into the forest once more.

Hermione, who had hid behind Oliver when the Trevenants had begun their attack, nervously looked up at the Gauntlet captain. "I am liking this plan less and less!"

"We have to be careful," Oliver snapped, glaring at George and Fred. "No sudden movements and no impulsive actions!" He sent out his Talonflame, the fire bird soaring overhead. "The Forbidden Island has a very dense ecosystem. There are ghost, psychic, dark, and electric types running around here, and that is just what we know of! Pokémon Trackers like to send Hogwarts rare species they find in hopes that their populations can increase on this island. There is a reason Prof. Dumbledore says this place is forbidden: students aren't suppose to be here! The Pokémon here are willing to attack if needed and will do so violently. This isn't like strolling down Route 1 or anything... the Pokémon here live in isolation for most of their lives and have no issue with attacking trainers… violently if needed. Stay alert."

Katie leaped onto Rapidash and, after a moment of consideration, lifted up Luna and placed her in front of her. Oliver gave her a look but the young woman shrugged; Luna was the newest Gryffindor and word had spread quickly about the abuse the Claws had heaped on her. Katie wasn't about to let the little girl feel abandoned and had decided to start right now forging a bond with her.

Besides, from the way Luna was acting, Katie had a bad feeling Luna would see a Vespiqueen and go wandering after it.

The former Ravenclaw wasn't frightened by the flaming mane of the Pokémon; instead she merely stroked the equine's neck, smiling as the fire Pokémon dimmed its mane so that Luna wouldn't get burned. Katie nodded and motioned for the group to begin moving. Harry and his friends took one last longing look at the lake, wondering if it was too late to head back to the dorms, before steeling themselves and plunging into the dark forest. "Oliver is right. You six," she gestured at the young Gryffindors, "will always stick with one of us older students."

"Except for Fred and George," Alicia said. "If you end up with them make peace with Merlin."

"We'd be insulted..." George said, stroking his trembling Minun's back, "but you have a point."

And with that final comment, the group entered the dark, foreboding shadows of the Forbidden Island.

The hunt was on.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Note: So… this chapter.

Originally, this chapter featured not only this, but much, much more. Then I realized I'd written a 22 page beast… before I'd even begun to edit/add to it. I debated either keeping it a monster long chapter (at least 7000 words) but finally decided to split it in two. This allowed me to make the second half have its own focus without wearing you guys out… because with all the capturing, Pokémon, and sudden surprises, you guys would have been dazed. More on that later.

I have said before that I wanted to build up this world and bring in focus on other characters, letting them interact with the main cast and not have them merely be standees that Harry talks to once and a while. The first was Neville in Book 1, and Book 2 has seen Ginny, Luna and Remus all get some more action. This chapter lets me get the Gauntlet team involved and build on their characters. I like having some of them take a shine to members of the group, like having Katie step in to be a big sister figure now to Luna. Expect to see more of this as we move into Book 3 and 4 (especially four, when the greatest of the greats of the Pokémon world, such as Kurt, Jack Kenway, Alder, Cynthia and Lance all come to Avalon).

If you can't tell… I love writing Snape. He is just so much fun to write. I want him to come off as a bastard… but a bastard that has a point. My Snape isn't cruel to be cruel… he is cruel because he is right and that makes you hate him even more. Yet you respect him. It makes for some nice dueling emotions.

Next chapter will see Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Ginny and Luna, along with the Gauntlet team get their new Pokémon… then it is time for Harry and Neville's battle.

Of course, one never knows when a certain chamber might open at the worst possible time…


	11. Into the Woods

The Forbidden Forest was unlike any place Harry had ever been too. Granted, Harry hadn't been to many places: Little Surrey, Galahad City, Hogwarts, Morgana's Landing, Remus' house, Tor Town… and several of those places had been only for a moment or only a glance. Still, compared to those places the Forbidden Island might as well have been another planet. Oliver had been right: it was a dense ecosystem. Trees crowded against one another, so tightly packed in places that their trunks would merge and seemingly create new trees; pines with large red apples or maple trees that oozed a syrup that tasted like cherries, if George was to be believed. Their branches had long become entwined and created a ceiling of bark and leaves that blocked out the moonlight.

Harry sent out Ludwig, who happily summoned some Will-O-Wisp balls to light the path. The red flames turned blue as they passed, marking the trail so they could find their way back to the boats. Of course Togepi sensed that her friend was out and instantly popped out of her Pokeball, followed by Eevee, leaving Harry to carry the baby Pokemon in his arms and his starter on his shoulder. Talonflame meanwhile joined Rapidash in lighting the way, the large avian firing off an occasional burst of fire to illuminate the shadows.

"Won't this scare off the Pokemon?" Ginny whispered, glancing over at Togepi, amused that the baby wasn't at all frightened by the dark looming shadows.

Neville shook his head. "Ghost types will be more interested in the light than frightened and want to investigate. Electric types tend to use Flash when moving so that won't be a problem. Besides, since the flames are all Pokémon created they won't be any worse than if we used flashlights. Might even be better."

"That's right," Oliver said in surprise. "I learned about how Pokémon flames draw less attention than human ones while I was in Kalos. Gardenders use Pokémon Lamps in gardens to attract Flabébés. How did you know that?"

Ron grinned. "Neville is the next Jack Kenway!" The chubby boy blushed and ducked his head, not quite use to receiving praise from others. "Uh… I mean with tracking… not the 'grab some crazy sticks and beat people to death with them' way."

"Their called Escrima sticks, Ron," Hermione said.

"And Kenway only killed… 30 people?" Fred asked. George looked up, doing some mental math before nodding. "Yes, 30 people by himself."

"And he didn't beat them to death… most he electrocuted with those sticks… or snapped their necks," George stated. "Add in all the Pokémon he's used though…"

"You do realize you are talking about what some would call a mass murderer like you'd discuss the weather, right?" Katie asked.

Fred and George shrugged, a mischievous twinkle in each of their eyes.

The group was following a game trail that had been cut through the forest by many of the Pokémon species that lived on the island. It was a tight squeeze, forcing the children and teens to walk two by two. Katie had moved off to the side, letting the others pass so that she could take up the rear and guard their flank. Talonflame continued to dip down, chirping at Oliver before launching itself back up and overhead.

"Do you think there are any more Trevenants around?" Hermione whispered, rubbing her arms.

"Probably," Angelina stated. "There could be none left or every tree on this island could be one. Kenway-"

"The mass murderer," Katie muttered.

"-proved when he discovered them that some trees are in fact Trevenants that have fallen asleep and become more... well, treeish than Pokémon. As long as we don't disturb them like Fred and George did, we should be ok."

Hermione looked about nervously. "That isn't doing much to ease my worries.

"Not a fan of them?" Harry asked. The Trevenants had startled him too but it was clear from the way Hermione kept looking about, twitching whenever someone stepped on a twig or the wind whistled through the leaves that she was far from being at ease.

"I don't like ghost types period." She flashed a weak smile at Togepi, who seemed to take great offense to Hermione's statement. The baby pointed at Ludwig and babbled indigently. "I like Ludwig a lot, trust me, but other ghost types tend to be a bit too mean for my tastes." The bushy-haired girl scowled. "Same with dark types... I understand WHY they act the way they do but that doesn't mean I like their tricks."

"What about bug types?" Katie called out from behind the group.

"Ugh," Hermione and Ginny both said, shuddering.

"Hmmm," Fred said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I think our dear Hermione is being projected on."

"Huh?" Harry said.

Fred smirked. "Psychic are weak against three types: Dark, Ghost, and Bugs. Hermione here has a Ralts, a psychic-"

"Actually Ralts is a dual type, Psychic and Fairy," Hermione interjected. "They proved that this summer at the International Trainer Conference-"

Fred continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Ralts is a psychic type and would naturely be leery of those types."

"But Ralts isn't just psychic… she is a Fairy, which means Steel and Poison would be more concerning than Bugs…"

"So?" Ron asked his brother, Hermione huffing that they were all ignoring her.

"You've heard of the idea that people influence the behavior of their Pokémon, right?" Oliver asked. "The reverse is also true. Pokémon can influence their trainers."

Luna frowned. "So we shouldn't point out the two ghost types that are floating above Hermione's-"

"AAAAAAA!" the girl screamed as she glanced up at the two phantoms that were hanging over her. The two let out their own shrieks and darted down towards Ron, causing the red-head to cry out and leap into Fred's arms as the ghosts swirled around the group. Hermione took off like a shot through the underbrush, leaving the safety of the trail behind.

"Hermione!" Harry called out, juggling a confused and whimpering Togepi in his arms. Eevee snapped and growled at the two ghosts while Harry turned towards Ludwig. "Find Hermione and keep her safe!"

"Litwick!" the ghost said, flying after the frightened girl.

"Talonflame!" Oliver called out as the two ghosts slid behind him. "Use-"

"NO!" Luna cried out, leaping off Rapidash and hurrying around Oliver. "Can't you see they are just as scared as we are?" She sat down on her haunches and began to coo slightly, motioning for the ghosts to come over to her. The two, a Pumpkaboo and a Phantump, were hugging each other close and shivering. "Shhh, it's ok. I know Hermione can be loud at times and her hair does look like a happy little bush in a painting but you get use to her. It's ok."

"Is she actually babying the ghosts?" Ron asked.

Ginny laughed. "That's Luna."

"Neville, which would you like?"

"Huh?" the boy said, approaching the girl.

"I'd rather have the Pumpkaboo, but if you'd prefer it..."

"No no... you can have him," Neville said, scratching his head.

Luna nodded, taking out a Pokeball. "Sorry, Harry, I'd offer you one but Neville is a grass trainer and I'd hate to break these two up."

"No problem, Luna."

"How do you know they want to be your partners?" Oliver asked. Luna merely motioned for the Pokemon to come forward and the Pumpkaboo happily sprang into her arms, squealing in delight. The Phantump was a bit more reserved but still floated over to Neville and held his hand in his own, tugging on the boy's finger. "Never mind," the Gauntlet Captain said as Neville and Luna activated their Pokeballs, catching the ghosts.

"I'm going to call you Linus," Luna said happily.

"Why Linus?" Katie asked as Luna got back on the Rapidash.

"Because he's a great pumpkin!" Luna said, laughing at her own joke.

The others merely stared at her for a moment before dismissing the comment as just 'Luna being Luna'.

"Litwick!" Ludwig called out as he floated back to Harry.

"You find her buddy?" Harry asked as Togepi gibbered happily to Ludwig, acting as if it had been centuries since she'd seen her friend... instead of the minutes it had truly been.

"He did," Hermione said, emerging from the darkness with a cute little gray cat in her arms. "And I wasn't alone!" She held up the Pokémon and rubbed her nose against his. "Isn't that right, isn't that right?"

"And now Hermione is using baby talk... that will replace the Wailord in my nightmares," Ron stated.

Harry flipped out his dex. "An Espurr," he stated, reading over the info. "Psychic type."

"Aren't you the cutest little guy! Yes you are! Yes you are! You wandered right up to me and knew we were meant to be together, didn't you Cronkshanks!"

"Cronkshanks?" Harry asked, looking in confusion at the rest of the group; they were either smiling or shaking their heads at the choice of names for the Pokémon.

Hermione nodded brightly. "There was the kids show where this woman had all these Pokemon puppets and would teach kids life lessons. Cronkshanks was the best."

"This is the song that never ends," George sang, only to earn a glare from Alicia.

Fred laughed. "I thought we were coming out to battle and catch Pokémon, not have them wander into our hands."

"Works for Harry," Ron stated.

Everyone looked at Harry, who blushed. "It's... it's not my fault all my Pokémon were either given to me or found!"

"Well, if things continue like this, you'll remain a battle virgin for another year, Harrykins," George said, slinging an arm around the boy and giving him a shake.

As it turned out, the streak of Pokemon just wandering up to be captured ended with Cronkshanks. Katie had been next, nabbing a Heracross after Harry had passed on it. Ginny and her Rattata ended up in a 10 minute battle with a Pachirisu, finally managing to nab the blue and white electric squirrel after Rattata had used a bite attack on a tree sapling and sent it crashing upon Pachirisu, trapping it and letting the young girl capture it, much to her delight.

Harry once again passed when Alicia spotted a Golduck leaping out of a small pond the group had stopped next too, simply telling the group that he didn't sense a connection between himself and the blue duck.

"You do realize you have to catch something, right Harry?" Oliver asked, wiping his brow; he and Talonflame had managed to nab a Gloom that Harry had spotted but, once again, decided again. "That's the whole point of all of this."

"I know," Harry said with a slight smile. "But I don't want to rush it. Last thing I want to do is pick a Pokémon that doesn't feel right... that would only guarantee a loss. Worse comes to worse I'll grab whatever we spot on the way back and see if I can work a trade with someone in the Common Room."

"If you say so, Harry," Oliver said, clearly not liking the fact that Harry was playing such a risky game.

The boy, however, was steadfast. "If I'd jumped at the first Pokémon I saw, I'd never gotten Eevee or Togepi." He tickled the baby Pokémon, Togepi cooing happily in agreement. He glanced over at Ron, who was staring intently at the water. "What are you up to, mate?"

"Shhh," Ron said, holding up his hand. "I have to time this just right." He was holding a Dive Ball he'd made in Flitwick's class, perched just over the water's edge, watching as what few ripples ran along the surface of the small pond. "Almost… almost…" Ron's arm snapped forward, water shooting out and spraying Angelina as the Dive Ball sunk down, only to fly back into Ron's hand with a satisfying 'shwap!'. "Yes!"

"What did you get, Ron?" Hermione asked, Cronkshanks held in her arms.

"Check it out!" Ron said, throwing out the Pokéball and calling out his newest Pokémon.

"Karp karp!"

Harry stared at the red fish that was flopping on the ground. Ron had thrown the ball over the water, to let it swim about, but the water type had chosen to stay on the land, flailing around in the dirt. The red scaled Pokémon's fat body didn't so much thrash as it slapped against the forest floor like a piece of sliced ham striking a kitchen counter. Ron's newest partner stared at them all with unblinking dull eyes and Harry got the impression the poor thing was wondering 'hey, what are you doing underwater… and why is the water so dusty?'

"A Magikarp?" Fred said with a sigh, for once not smiling. "Ron, are you trying to embarrass the family?"

Ron snorted. "Hey, I did my homework for once! A Magikarp might be weak-"

"Pathetic," Katie said

"Sad," Fred chimed in.

"Useless," George commented.

"For once I have nothing," Luna said.

"I think it's trying to kill itself," Neville said calmly, watching as the fish began to hop AWAY from the water.

"-but I have plans for him! I just need to spend time with him, toughen him up, and he will evolve into the mighty Gyarados!" Ron puffed up a bit at that. "Imagine that! Mr. Ron Weasley, with that mighty flying dragon-"

"Gyaradoses aren't dragons," Hermione stated.

"Yeah, definitely trying to kill itself," Neville said as the Magikarp flopped over to a rock and began to bang its head against the stone. "And failing too… that must be depressing."

"Besides," Ron said, walking over and dragging Magikarp back to the water, "look at how cool he is! See all those cool shiny sparkles on his scales?" This part was at least true; unlike other Magikarps, this one had thousands of shimmering crystals embedded in its scales. "Imagine that but on a giant blue dragon!"

"Again, it isn't a dragon," Hermione pointed out.

Harry tilted his head. The 'shiny sparkles' reminded him of something… something from one of their classes…

"Trust me, guys!" Ron said with glee, holding up the Magikarp by its tail. "This is a brilliant plan! I am a genius!"

"EMOLGA!"

Ron blinked as a black and white form flew past him, snatching the Magikarp and flying back up into the trees with its prize.

"EmolgaEmolgaEmolga!" Ron began chanting with glee. "That's… that's my favorite Pokémon! It's… it's just so awesome!" He reached towards his hip to grab a Pokeball only to find his wrist restrained. "Fred? Let me-"

His brother shook his head. "Rules are rules, Ronnie… only one Pokémon per person on this trip."

"…no!" Ron wailed. "Please, you have to-"

"Sorry, dear little brother, but rules are rules. George and I got our Volbeat and Illumise, Ollie and Katie have theirs, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom have their phantoms… the only person left who could capture it is-"

"HARRY!" Ron screamed, scrambling towards his friend. "Please! Please capture it!" He shook his best mate hard, Harry's teeth rattling due to the shakes. "I'd love to have one but at least if you had it I could be around one!" Harry cringed, fearful that Ron would begin crying. He knew Ron was obsessed with the flying thunder squirrel but this… "I'll even help you care for it and-"

"Ok, ok!" Harry pleaded, gently removing Ron's hands from his jacket. He turned, nodding to Eevee, before looking up at the tree where Emolga was lightly shocking Magikarp, the fish seemingly not minding in the slightest. "I guess a flying electric type that is immune to ground moves would be a good Pokémon to have around. Eevee, use Shadow ball!"

"Eevee!" the Pokémon called out, leaping into the lower hanging branches and using them as a springboard to reach the gliding Pokémon. The ball of shadow energy shot from Eevee's mouth and struck Emolga in the side, sending it crashing into the tree trunk. Magikarp merely fell to the ground, not even registering where he was. Harry threw out a Pokeball, only for the electric cheek Pokémon to shock it away before diving at Eevee, forcing Harry's partner to leap to another tree. Eevee charged up another Shadow Ball and let it fly, Emolga managing to dodge it. Harry was ready, however, and threw a second Pokeball, only for Emolga to escape within seconds.

"He's a tough one," Harry said in frustration, prepping another ball. Emolga had landed on a new tree and stuck out its tongue at Harry, bouncing on the branch.

"Reeeevvvvv…." the tree Emolga was on groaned.

"Bloody hell!" Oliver shouted, Talonflame already leaping into the air. "Not more of them!" The tree began to shake, the others around them trembling as the bark began to peel away, revealing dark shadowy insides. Linus and Phantump let out cries and burrowed into Luna and Neville's chests while Flora and Mickey the Trapinch stood in front of their trainers, prepared to face down this new threat. "Harry, forget it, we need to go!"

Katie leapt onto Rapidash, ready to give her a command, only to cry out as her and her Pokémon were shocked. Across the pond a herd of Electrikes had appeared, drawn by the noise, and were now joining in on the attack.

"Ginny, send out your Pachirisu!" Fred called out. "We need to block those Thunderbolts!"

Ginny nodded, throwing out her Pokéball and calling out her newest partner. "I know we haven't had time to bond but I need your help, please!" Ginny said. Pachirisu nodded and joined Plusle and Minun in standing guard over Katie, absorbing the electric shocks as they came at them.

"Mickey!" Luna shouted, cradling Linus in her arms. Her eyes seemed to snap into focus and a hardness came over her. "Bulldozer!"

"Trap trap!" the ground type shouted, slamming his little legs onto the ground. His eyes shined brightly and the ground in front of his rose up, rolling like an ocean wave before striking the Electrike swarm, toppling them like bowling pins.

"Harry, we need some help here!" Hermione called out. Snorunt and Neville's Snover Sam were sending ice attacks at the Trevenets in an attempt to drive them away. The phantom trees were very strong, however, and were able to shake off their attacks and continue marching forward, their lumbering awakening more of their sleeping brothers and sisters.

"Right!" Harry said, looking down at Eevee. "Protect Togepi!"

"Eevee!" the Pokémon declared, accepting the baby onto his back. Flora glanced over and fired out a vine around the two, acting as a seatbelt to keep the little egg Pokémon firmly on Eevee's back. Togepi giggled as Eevee began to leap about firing Shadow Balls, thinking all of this was a game. She threw her hands up and laughed, eyes wide with delight.

"Emolga!" the electric mouse cried out, one of the awakened Trevenants having grabbed it and began drawing it towards its opened mouth.

"Powder Snow!" Ron called out, snatching his Magikarp by the tail as Cubchoo burst from his Pokeball. The ice attack launched at the Trevenant, striking it in the face and causing it to bellow in pain. Emolga glided down next to Ron and Harry, staring at them for a moment before nodding to himself. "Harry!"

"What?" Harry called out, focused on commanding Ludwig. Ron ran over and snatched one of Harry's Pokeballs and tossing it at Emolga, the electric mouse happily allowing itself to be captured. "Ron!"

"Still yours, mate!" Ron said. "So-DUCK!" Harry fell to the ground and Ron swung Magikarp like a club, striking the Spearow that had tried to divebomb the boy. "Bloody hell, I think they were nesting in the Trevenents!"

The students backed away from the now three separate swarms of Pokémon, doing their best to hold them off. The problem was that the Trevenants and Electrikes were simply too powerful and the Spearows that had joined the chaos only left their Pokémon exhausted and running low on energy. Oliver had been forced to recall Talonflame, Rapidash was paralyzed, Ludwig's flame was flickering weakly and the ice types were almost sweating from exertion.

"I hate this," Hermione complained, looking fearfully at the Trevenants. "I hate ghost types and I hate being shocked and I just want to leave!"

Katie, her body shaking from the shock, glanced over at Hermione. "Well, unless your Ralts knows Teleport, I don't-"

"That's it!" Harry shouted. He took a step away from the group, paying little heed to the attacks flying around him, and screamed as loud as he could, "DOBBY!"

Before anyone could question him the strange Kadabra appeared in the clearing. 'Harry Potter calls Dobby?' The psychic type looked about and began to tug on his mustache. 'Dobby said it dangerous at Hogwarts! Dobby warned the great Harry Potter!'

Harry nodded. 'You wanted to help protect me, right?'

'Of course… Harry Potter must be kept safe!'

'Can you Teleport me, my friends and our Pokémon back to Hogwarts?'

Dobby nodded rapidly. 'Dobby can! Dobby can! Dobby teleport many all the time, and Dobby-'

The sky above the ground cracked and clouds began to gather. Harry looked at his arm and watched the hairs rise up as the Electrikes prepared for massive Thunder attack. 'Do it! Do it!'

For a moment Harry thought Dobby hadn't been quick enough. He heard the explosion and the darkness was replaced by white light. Then he opened his eyes and realized that he, along with the rest of the group, were not on the Island but were instead standing just outside Hogwarts' main gate.

"We're alive?" Ginny asked.

Luna frowned. "It can't be heaven… there are Segway scooters in Heaven… and the Backstreet Boys." Neville, for his part, simply hugged his closest friend in relief, Linus and Phantump joining Snover, Flora and Mickey in the group hug.

"Toki!" Togepi said happily to Ludwig, still riding on Eevee's back. Harry patted each on the head, taking a moment to accept the Pokeball Ron had used to capture Emolga and send the electric mouse out. He didn't begrudge the little guy for rushing over to Ron and his team and happily thanking them for the rescue. There would be time to sort out those ownership issues later.

'Dobby do good?'

Harry turned towards the psychic Pokémon and nodded. 'Dobby did great. You saved all of us.'

The Kadabra nodded happily, cheering with glee even as his teleported away. Harry could tell his friends had questions but he shook his head, silently asking them to wait until he was ready. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep…

"Well, it seems I wasn't the only one awakened by the storm."

The celebrating group turned to see a smiling Albus Dumbledore standing in the doorway of the castle.

"Crud," Harry muttered.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: And we come to part two. I know a lot of people wanted me to have this chapter and the last one together, but there were two reasons for splitting them up: one, it made it easier to digest the info, and two, it gave me a buffer to work on the MASSIVE honor battle chapter coming up next.

A little bit more info on Jack Kenway. I like it that the teens and kids, because they are young, don't really realize how horrifying it is that Jack killed 30 people on his own during the Johto/Kanto War. To them he is like a movie action star, not real despite them knowing he is. These attitudes will change when they meet the man in Book 4. This is also the first time I finally got to make mention of Jack's signature weapons: the Escrima Sticks. Jack uses modified Sticks that can be used in battle or, more practically, fire Pokeballs over long distances for capturing fleeing, flying, or running Pokémon. Just like how Hagrid kept his wand in an umbrella and Lucuis' cane holds suprises, I like the idea that Jack can flick his wrists, send the sticks down from their holders in his sleeves, and fire off one of his Cameo Balls at a running Mightyena.

Ah, Treverants. I love the Treverants, even if they caused me so many pains (the first Phantump I got I traded accidently with my Lucky Egg, never to be seen again. So sad). Just a wonderful design that is creepy and cool. I decided when I began writing this that they would be… well, Entish. They are the guardians of the forest, afterall. I have it in my head that 'The Lord of the Rings' exists in this world but is the tale of the Fellowship of the Ring and their Pokémon going on a quest to destroy the One Ring. Many of the beasts in that story are Pokémon, including Treebeard the Treverant. It is also a relatively new story (written maybe only 10 years before the events of this story, at most), and thus not widely known yet.

Now, why I picked the Pokémon I did:

-I knew Neville was going to get a grass type and debated which one I wanted to give him. Finally I decided that Phantump would be a nice one for him and Pumpkaboo is just weird enough for Luna. Plus, the idea that they could trade between each other to get the evolved forms makes another link between the two.

-Cronkshanks was going to be a Vulpix very early on. Then I realized that Espurr fit with Hermione having cutie, seemingly clumsy and young Pokémon that evolve into elegant, powerful Pokémon.

-Pachirisu continues the trend that the Weasleys get rat/squirell/mouse Pokémon that are electric types.

-Magikarp… god, I am going to catch some flak for this one. I have a… twisted sense of humor, as anyone that has read my webcomic knows, and I love the idea of a Magikarp that is so dumb it tries to kill itself all the time… only it is so bad at it that it can't even do that right. There is another reason I picked it and I will be interested to see who figures it out before the reveal.

-Emolga I chose knowing that Ron loved that one and it would serve as an interesting sub-arc between him and Harry. What do you do when your friend has a Pokémon you've always wanted and they might not have wanted it in the first place?

-As for the Gauntlet team, I kinda just chose Pokémon I knew I would never use for the main characters. The only ones I spent a ton of time thinking about was Volbeat and Illumise to continue Fred and George having connected Pokémon.


End file.
